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23,000 Reported Dead in Mexico Drug War

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Posted on Apr 14, 2010
Flickr / PRI's The Word

Mexican Gen. Moises Garcia Melo stands in front a poppy field that he and his soldiers worked to destroy in 2008.

A Mexican government report has been leaked, coinciding with first lady Michelle Obama’s visit to Mexico, stating that 23,000 people have died in drug-related violence in Mexico since the beginning of a government crackdown on drug gangs in late 2006.

The new figure is 7,000 more than previous official estimates. According to the report, violence has surged this year, with 3,365 people already killed in the first three months of 2010.

The fact that killings continue to rise despite government efforts to wipe out drug trafficking—such as the 2008 agreement among the U.S., Mexico and several Central American countries called the Merida Initiative—points to a failure in official attempts to deal with the issue of drugs and drug violence. —JCL

Al-Jazeera English:

Nearly 23,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico since the launch of a government crackdown on drug gangs at the end of 2006, according to a government report.

The report, leaked to media on Tuesday, said gang violence has continued surging this year, with 3,365 people killed between January and March.

The confidential report, sent to parliamentarians, indicated security forces have been involved in most of the gunbattles of the past three years: 977 fights have been between gangs and security forces, compared to 309 between rival gangs.

The total toll of 22,743 deaths was a rise of more than 7,000 compared with previous official estimates.

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rico, suave's avatar

By rico, suave, April 14, 2010 at 3:17 pm Link to this comment

skulz: It’s easy to make up numbers. My kindergartener does it all the time.

I’m amused by the source of this report: Al-Jazeera!

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skulz fontaine's avatar

By skulz fontaine, April 14, 2010 at 3:07 pm Link to this comment

Only 23,000 dead in Mexico’s “Drug War?” Shoot, that’s not so bad. Heck, the US
killed about a million five in the Iraqnam. Why, the US/NATO just killed five in the
Afghaniscam. You know, shot up a bus. Arizona kills 150 “Mexicans” in a week.
You know, those pesky “illegals.”
It all boils down to the indiscriminate killing of innocents. Here, there, and IT
NEVER FREAKING ENDS!!!

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By NYCartist, April 14, 2010 at 2:57 pm Link to this comment

Excellent segment on today’s DemocracyNow http://www.democracynow.org  transcript/video on topic

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