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Mexico's Lopez Obrador says military to keep crime-fighting role
[Al Jazeera] Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Mexico's president-elect, says he will not order the military off the country's streets but continue using them in the efforts to stamp out organised crime.Mexico deployed its armed forces to fight drug trafficking in 2006. Since then, the military has enjoyed some successes but the overall crime rate has not been improved. Soldiers have also been embroiled in several rights scandals, including the extrajudicial killings of gang members. "Without the aid of the army and the navy, we would not be able to solve the security problem," Lopez Obrador said on Friday, outlining his plan for when he assumes office in December. "We are not in a position to pull out the armed forces, because that would leave the populace unprotected." In the lead-up to the election, Lopez Obrador had proposed to rewrite the rules of the drug war, suggesting negotiated peace and amnesties for some of those who are currently being targeted by members of the security forces. "The failed strategy of combating insecurity and violence will change," Lopez Obrador said in his victory speech on July 1. Posted by: Fred 2018-08-25 |
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