Mexico army's failures hamper drug war

[bemildred]

Source: LA Times

Reporting from Mexico City —
Four years and 50,000 troops into President Felipe Calderon's drug war, the fighting has exposed severe limitations in the Mexican army's ability to wage unconventional warfare, tarnished its proud reputation and left the U.S. pointedly criticizing the force as "virtually blind" on the ground.

The army's shortcomings have complicated the government's struggle against the narcotics cartels, as the deadliest year of the war by far comes to a close.

Though long employed to destroy marijuana and poppy fields in the countryside, the army hadn't been trained for the type of operations needed to fight groups trafficking cocaine through border cities.

"The army has never worked in urban operations against drug trafficking, in urban cells," said Raul Benitez, a national security specialist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. "It's the first time it is engaged in urban warfare. It has to learn."

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-army-20101230,0,6982556.story

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. It is not a new thing

SF troops exists, but they are a very small percentage of the force. they are distrusted by regular officers...I could go on. This is not new, but it is taking this long for people to notice.

[molly77]

2. Wonder if things would have been as bad if the real winner in

Mexico's election had been allowed to take office.Guess it is kind of like US in 2000 and 2004.We'll never know.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Can't imagine AMLO would have fallen for Bush's "Plan Mexico!"

That's when the violence spiralled out of control, and so many souls went to hell in a handbag.

(Without a doubt, his moral structure made him unacceptable to the people controlling that election. We ALL know the population didn't believe the election results for a moment. Where else in the WORLD have so many people crowded into the capital city center to protest, leaving home, jobs, etc. behind, to stay, sit in as long as possible, many well over a month.)

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/07/26/zocalosquare_wideweb__470x308,0.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com.nyud.net:8090/1182/543990949_4f8e23ee61_o.jpg http://www.commondreams.org.nyud.net:8090/headlines06/images/0717-03.jpg

http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com.nyud.net:8090/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/060803/060803_mexico_hmed_2p.grid-6x2.jpg http://www.chinadaily.com.cn.nyud.net:8090/photo/att/site1/20060709/xin_4207030912041843134948.jpg

http://graphics8.nytimes.com.nyud.net:8090/images/2006/07/31/world/31mexico_600x309.jpg

[Judi Lynn]

4. Just found some photos posted here by arcos in July, 2006.

They show people walking on the way to El Zócalo, the city square, at the beginning of the enormous public protest of the crooked election results:

http://static.flickr.com.nyud.net:8090/61/184896612_80162ba0f6.jpg http://static.flickr.com.nyud.net:8090/64/184892939_32a608b669.jpg

[sarcasmo]

5. World Police to the rescue.