Mexican army

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Mexican Soldier Appears to Execute Man in Video

The incident occurred in Palmarito on May 3

(Newser) - A video released online appears to show a Mexican soldier executing a suspected oil thief at point-blank range as he lays defenseless on the ground. The heavily edited video , taken from a surveillance camera, shows a car coming under fire during what the military describes as a series of ambushes...

Mexican Helicopter Mistakes Airports, Lands in Texas
 Mexico Invades Texas Again 
ACCIDENTS HAPPEN
Aug 7, 2011 10:32 AM CDT

Mexico Invades Texas Again

Chopper lands in Laredo airport, instead of Nuevo Laredo

(Newser) - Mexico might want to invest in some maps: For the second time in as many weeks, the Mexican military has inadvertently invaded its neighbor to the north, reports the Houston Chronicle . A Mexican helicopter landed at the airport in Laredo, Texas, yesterday afternoon, leading US Customs officers to check out...

Mexico Accidentally Invades Texas

 Mexico Accidentally 
 Invades Texas 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jul 31, 2011 9:25 AM CDT

Mexico Accidentally Invades Texas

Dozens of troops stray over border bridge

(Newser) - What may have been the largest incursion by foreign troops onto US soil since the Japanese invasion of Alaska's Aleutian Islands occurred in Texas this week. Four Humvees carrying a total of 33 Mexican soldiers accidentally strayed into US territory, crossing the boundary line on a bridge across the...

Zetas Cartel Boss Nabbed in Mexico

Organization's No. 3 wanted for killing of US customs agent

(Newser) - Mexico has busted an army deserter who helped found one of the country's most powerful drug cartels. Jesus Rejon Aguilar—alias "El Mamito" or "Pretty Boy"—was third in command of the Zetas drug cartel and is suspected of crimes including the killing of a US...

Mexico Sending More Troops to Violent Border Zone

Cartel boss Carlos Montemayor busted

(Newser) - Mexico says it is deploying extra troops and federal police to reassert its authority in two states bordering the US. Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon have become a battleground for the Gulf and Zetas cartels, and cities like Monterrey, once considered relatively safe, have seen a huge surge in violence. The...

Mexican Army Kills 25 in Cartel Clash

Two soldiers injured in Zetas shootout

(Newser) - A Mexican military shootout with suspected drug cartel members near the US border finished with 25 cartel members dead and two soldiers wounded. Soldiers moved in after an airborne patrol spotted gunmen in front of a ranch building, CNN reports. Three captives were found at the property, which the military...

Americans Allege Torture by Mexican Soldiers

Jailed Texans say army planted drugs

(Newser) - It sounds like the script of a B movie, but it's very real for two Americans behind bars in Mexico: They tell the Wall Street Journal that Mexican soldiers stopped their pickup near the border, planted two suitcases of drugs, then beat and tortured them with electric shocks. The Texas...

15 Killed in Mexico Tourist Town Shootout

Suspected cartel members killed in Taxco battle

(Newser) - The Mexican army killed 15 suspected drug cartel members in an hour-long shootout in the tourist town of Taxco yesterday. Troops returned fire after being shot at when they arrived at a house to investigate reports of criminal activity, CNN reports. Authorities have stepped up anti-cartel operations in Taxco since...

Obama Defends Mexico's Drug War

Cartels are the biggest violators of human rights, president says

(Newser) - President Obama expressed his support for Mexico’s war on drug cartels after today's North American summit, the New York Times reports. Obama defended Felipe Calderón—who some criticize for not holding the Mexican army accountable for reported human rights abuses against the drug traders—saying that the ruthless...

Mexican Army Slammed for Drug War Torture

US holds up aid until Mexico can 'pass' human rights investigation

(Newser) - A growing body of evidence points to widespread human rights abuses by the Mexican military in its battle against drug cartels, the Washington Post reports. Human rights groups say the army has responded to the traffickers' brutal tactics with equal brutality, carrying out deadly campaigns of "disappearances," forced...

25 Mexican Cops Busted for Drug Ties

Calderon launches troops to root out police corruption

(Newser) - Mexican soldiers and federal agents have arrested at least 25 police officers accused of links to drug trafficking operations, reports AP. The busts are part of an ongoing effort to stem the tide of drug violence. President Felipe Calderon has committed over 40,000 troops to combat the cartels. Calderon...

Thugs in Cop Uniforms Free 59 Mexican Drug Prisoners

(Newser) - Some 15 vehicles packed with criminals wearing police uniforms arrived at a Mexico prison yesterday to free as many as 59 inmates linked to a drug cartel, reports the BBC. The men convinced guards they were members of the federal police there to conduct an inspection. Once inside, they overpowered...

Watchdog: Mexican Army's Abuse of Civilians Unchecked

Desperate to fight the cartels, government turns a blind eye to military crimes

(Newser) - The Mexican army, enlisted by President Felipe Calderón in the battle against drug cartels, is abusing civilians with de facto immunity from the government, a watchdog group says. The army was supposed to be a temporary replacement for corrupt or incompetent police forces. But some soldiers, unaccustomed to the...

Violence Plummets as Mexican Army Polices Juárez

But human rights violations said to be rampant

(Newser) - Since Mexico’s army took over for police in the drug haven of Ciudad Juárez, killings have dropped: In 2009’s first two months, there were 434 drug-related murders. In March, 5,000 troops arrived—and murders plummeted to 51, the Washington Post reports. With 10,000 soldiers now...

Mexican Army Sweeps Into Juarez

Mexico pushes to retake control of border city from warring cartels

(Newser) - Thousands of Mexican troops are pouring into Ciudad Juarez as the government tries to prevent total anarchy in the country's most violent city, reports Reuters. More than 2,000 people have been killed in the border city during the last year as drug cartels—in league with corrupt cops—battle...

Mexico Calls in Army as Drug War Escalates

President deploys 45,000 troops into major cities

(Newser) - Mexican President Felipe Calderón yesterday defended his decision to deploy 45,000 troops in major cities in his fight against the drug cartels, reports the Washington Post. In a speech to the army, Calderón said the military would remain in place until it had regained control of the...

'Narco-Protests' Paralyze Mexican Border Crossings

Authorities believe anti-military protesters are in the pay of drug cartels

(Newser) - Civilian protesters suspected of being in the pay of drug traffickers have blocked Mexican bridges to the US in recent days, demanding that the military leave their cities, the Dallas Morning News reports. Officials see the demonstrations—dubbed "narco-protests"—as a worrying new development amid a wave of...

In Mexico, Corruption Is Rampant and Pervasive

(Newser) - During his two years in office, Mexican President Felipe Calderón has made a valiant attempt to expel corruption from his government, but many think his efforts are quixotic at best, the Christian Science Monitor reports. “I don't think there is ever a point that Calderón can claim...

Mexico Deploys Soldiers to Fight Drug War

Law-enforcement gaps, budget woes give traffickers upper hand

(Newser) - In its battle against drug traffickers, the Mexican army fights not just the cartels but also a lethal combination of corruption, power vacuums, and even geography. Desertion rates are high, salaries low, and the assignment difficult if not impossible. The LA Times visits Apatzingan, a drug-war hotspot whose police chief...

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