By Chris CovertRantburg.com
A total of 300 soldiers were deployed to southern Chihuahua to reinforce the Mexican 42nd Military Zone, according to Mexican news accounts.
A news report last week posted on the online edition of El Diario de Juarez news daily said that the unit, coming via road march from Cuernavaca in Morelos state, arrived Thursday in Hidaldo de Parral municipality. The unit is an element of the Mexican 9th Artillery Regiment.
The units is expected to reinforce road patrols throughout the region, a total of 41 municipalities covered by the 42nd Military Zone. A week ago an additional 100 soldiers were moved to southern Chihuahua.
Southern Chihuahua has experienced a severe increase in drug related violence in the last three weeks. More recently, at least four individuals have been killed in drug related violence.
- The owner of a seafood kiosk in Parral was shot to death Thursday, according to a separate news report in El Diario de Juarez. Alfredo Valenzuela, 33, was shot near Avenida Independencia when an unidentified armed suspect shot him three times. The shooting took place near a location where a seller of sushi was killed a few days before.
- An undisclosed number of armed suspects were killed in an apparent intergang firefight near the village of Villa Matamoros in Guadalupe y Calvo municipality Wednesday afternoon. The shooting started as part of a kidnapping at around 1400 hrs. Police arrived to find a Chevrolet Suburban SUV afire from rifle fire. Dead were reported at the scene, but the death toll was not disclosed by police.
- An unidentified man was found dead Monday near the road connecting Parral and Jimenez municipalities. The victim had been tortured and was found with his hear wrapped in tape. The news account failed to indicate how the victim was killed.
- An unidentified cattleman was shot and wounded in Guadalupe y Calvo municipality Sunday. It is unclear why the 43 year old victim was shot, but it is apparent he is expected to survive his wounds.
- A traffic police officer was shot to death in Jimenez municipality Sunday. Victor Manuel Ramirez Salas 34 was shot by armed suspects as he was driving his personal vehicle on Calle 9th. He is the second transit police officer killed in Jimenez in January.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com.