Thread: Retaliation by drug gangs feared

Retaliation by drug gangs feared
Chihuahua Joint Operation starts, troops begin deploying in Juárez
By Louie Gilot / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 03/29/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT


Newly arrived Mexican Army soldiers prepared Friday to move out of the Juarez airport. The soldiers have been sent to stem the deadly violence in the city. (Rudy Gutierrez / El Paso Times)
Photo gallery: Mexican troops arrive and patrol in Juarez

JUAREZ -- While hundreds of Mexican soldiers armed with automatic rifles arrived in C-130 Hercules aircraft Friday to overpower warring drug gangs, the U.S. State Department reiterated its earlier advice that travelers should be careful when visiting Mexico.

The Mexican government on Thursday announced it would send 2,000 soldiers and about 500 federal police officers to Juárez in response to the increasing violence that has stunned the city of more than 2 million people.

The U.S. placed Mexico under a travel alert last October, and it remains in effect until April 15. Next month, the State Department will reassess and decide whether that alert should be upgraded to a more serious "warning."

"We are always looking at the situation in Mexico and want to give Americans the best information (about) Juárez," said Steve Royster, spokesman for consular affairs at the U.S. Department of State. "As events warrant, we'll make changes as needed."

This is not the first time Mexico has been placed on alert, which is meant to help travelers make their own decisions, he said.

"That's really what a good traveler does -- makes themselves familiar with the circumstances and then makes a decision as to where they want to go."

Mexico and the United States continue to work together to combat violence, he said.
"Mexico and the U.S. are partners in a number of areas, including the control of crime in the border region and throughout the country," he said.

The State Department depends on consulate offices for advice on changing climates. U.S. Consulate officials in Juárez could not be reached Friday.

The soldiers' arrival is already changing the scene of the city.

Friday, three C-130 Hercules aircraft and a chartered commercial plane unloaded hundreds of Mexican soldiers at the Juárez airport as curious Juarenses stopped by to watch the troops.

Gildardo Solar, a 27-year-old maquiladora worker, parked his car behind the airport's chain-link fence like dozens of other spectators. With his wife and infant daughter, he watched the soldiers hop into troop transports.

"I think it's a good thing," he said. "The city has changed a lot. There is a lot of violence. You are scared to even leave your house. Even at work, it's not safe. There was a shootout in the Bermudez industrial park not too long ago."

Thursday, top-level Mexican officials said the soldiers and federal police officers would have patrols and checkpoints, in an effort to disturb the activities of drug


A convoy of newly arrived Mexican soldiers in a variety of military vehicles traveled along Barranca Azul street to a military installation in South of Juarez Friday. (Rudy Gutierrez / El Paso Times)cartels.
However, the operation, dubbed Operación Conjunta Chihuahua, or Chihuahua Joint Operation, in full force next week, could also provoke a violent response from drug cartels, officials said.

Nearly 200 people have been slain in Juárez since Jan. 1, many of them in execution-style killings attributed to feuding drug traffickers. These types of killings, which reached as many as eight a day last week, seem to have abated in the past couple of days.

Friday, the 303 newly arrived soldiers made their way to the military camp next to the Cereso prison on Barranco Azul street in South Juárez. The soldiers carried M-16 rifles and traveled in pickups and troop transports. A Humvee topped by a .50-caliber machine gun accompanied the convoy.

An additional 395 soldiers were expected to land at the airport today. Others are already in the city.

At a news conference in Juárez on Thursday, Gen. Guillermo Galván Galván, Mexico's defense secretary, said 100 soldiers would also be sent to Palomas, across the border from Columbus, N.M.

Juárez Mayor José Reyes Ferriz appealed to residents on Friday for their support.

"We know that it may be difficult and that some people may be inconvenienced by the random checkpoints, but this is something that is necessary to make Juarenses safe," he said.

On Juárez Avenue, dozens of federal police officers patrolled on foot.

Enrique Romero, manager of El Palenque restaurant, approved. Romero said he hoped the publicity around the extraordinary deployment would bring his U.S. customers back to Downtown Juárez and boost his trailing sales.

"Over in the United States, they think they are going to get killed if they come here. With more security, people will be more confident," Romero said.

Federal officers will also investigate all city police officers for possible corruption, Mayor Reyes said Thursday.

Less than 24 hours after the announcement, four city officers resigned, city officials said Friday.


Louie Gilot may be reached at lgilot@elpasotimes.com, 546-6131.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_8736370

"While hundreds of Mexican soldiers armed with automatic rifles arrived in C-130 Hercules aircraft Friday to overpower warring drug gangs, the U.S. State Department reiterated its earlier advice that travelers should be careful when visiting Mexico. "


When did you not have to be CAREFUL to travel in mexico?

The U.S. placed Mexico under a travel alert last October, and it remains in effect until April 15. Next month, the State Department will reassess and decide whether that alert should be upgraded to a more serious "warning."

"We are always looking at the situation in Mexico and want to give Americans the best information (about) Juárez," said Steve Royster, spokesman for consular affairs at the U.S. Department of State. "As events warrant, we'll make changes as needed."

The Mexican military is fighting within Mexico and the U.S. State Department is going to REASSESS the situation next month?

Distrust and caution are the parents of security.
Benjamin Franklin