Mexico's war on drugs took a grim twist this week, as a prominent mayor said he had created an undercover group of operatives to "clean up" criminal elements -- even if it had to act outside the law.
| Batallón de Acción Rapida!! |
| BAR instead of Rab? That requires some thought... |
Underscoring why the mayor may have felt compelled to take such steps, the new police chief in a neighboring town, a retired brigadier general, was shot and killed Wednesday, four days after taking up his post.
| Time for someone to have an 'encuentro' ... |
| You're really enjoying this, I can tell. |
The events shed light on the state of Mexico's battle to try to control powerful drug cartels and stop the turf wars between rival gangs that have killed an estimated 14,000 people since President Felipe Calderón took office in December 2006. Frustrated with the government's approach, Mexicans are searching for other solutions.
| A 'fuego cruzado' sounds pretty good right now ... |
| Something is going to happen to you if you keep this up. Just a friendly warning... |
Mayors and state governors across the country say they feel powerless to control the traffickers, who have corrupted local and state police to such a degree that they are considered part of the problem, rather than part of the solution. Mr. Calderón has sent 45,000 army troops to various Mexican states to try to stem the violence, but the killings have continued, with more than 6,300 people dead in drug-related violence so far this year, according to Mexican newspaper estimates.
| So a separate, incorruptible paramilitary organization that settles things at oh-dark thirty might be just the ticket. They could call Bengladesh for details ... |
| I'm sure the Rab would enjoy a little field demonstration of their by-the-numbers technique. For some reason things have slowed down a bit over there. |
On Wednesday alone, 29 people died in killings in Mexico believed to be drug-related, including the police chief. |