Battle zone on the border
Mexico's war on drugs getting more violent
By JOHN MACCORMACK
SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
Sept. 4, 2010, 7:24AM

CIUDAD MIGUEL ALEMAN, Mexico — A day after the bloodiest border shootout to date, residents who have endured years of violence on both sides of the Rio Grande counted their blessings.

The gunbattle Thursday between Mexican soldiers and the Zetas drug gang killed at least 25 of the narcos near the town of Ciudad Mier, about 20 miles south of the border.

It was yet another confrontation in what has become a battle zone in Mexico's drug war.

"Two weeks ago, right across the border, there was a running gunbattle in Miguel Aleman. We could hear the shots," Capt. Francisco Garcia of the Roma police said Friday.

Referring to other nearby Mexican towns, he said, "Three days ago, they had a shootout in Nuevo Guerrreo. And in Los Guerras, they have shootouts almost every night."

So far, the violence has not crossed the Rio Grande.

While details of Thursday's shootout in the state of Tamaulipas remained sketchy, it appears the Mexican army attacked a narco-recruiting and training center.

The only army casualties were three wounded, according to early accounts of the battle.

On Friday, another shootout occurred on a highway in the neighboring state of Nuevo Leon. In that battle, five suspected narcos were killed by army troops.

All 30 deceased gunmen were believed to belong to the Zetas — the group suspected of killing 72 migrants nearly two weeks ago in what appears to be Mexico's biggest cartel massacre to date.

'Scared to go over'
The violence has forced citizens on both sides of the border to dramatically change their behavior.

For starters, casual trips across the Rio Grande are now just old memories. Foot traffic across the bridge in Roma has dropped by up to 90 percent this year, according to Mexican officials

"If you are originally from here, you have family in Mexico, but I haven't been over there in about five years. It's a dangerous place to be a policeman," Garcia said.

The latest outburst of violence spooked even the grizzled taxi drivers whose livelihood is taking customers across the international bridge from Roma to Miguel Aleman.

"I don't want to go over. I'm scared to go over. No one knows what's going on," said Luis Garza, 82, a longtime taxista who declined Thursday to take two journalists to Mexico.

Those who once enjoyed simple pleasures, such as going over to Miguel Aleman for a family dinner, now must improvise or do without.

On Thursday, Lucy Gomez, 27, walked to the middle of the international bridge and swapped $30 for a large bag of carne asada tacos for distribution among family members.

"We used to go over all the time to eat at Tacos Hidalgo, but now I'm scared," she said. "So now we order them three or four times a week, and they deliver them to the middle of the bridge."

On the Mexican side of the bridge, armed soldiers in combat gear idled away the early afternoon behind sandbag barriers placed around the international entry to Mexico.

Downtown Miguel Aleman appeared tranquil, even somewhat festive as workers hung green, red and white decorations in preparation for the Sept. 16 national holiday. But there were no tourists in sight.

Beneath the veneer of peace and normalcy, however, nothing was the same.

"I have lived here all my life. I have never seen anything like this before. We have changed our daily habits. We stay home at night after it gets dark," said one Mexican woman, 66, who, like others, was willing to talk but unwilling to give her name.

"I have two daughters in Monterrey. I always used to drive there. Now I won't even take the bus because the criminals intercept them and rob the passengers," she said.

"Last week, I had to go to McAllen to see one of my daughters," she said.

Violence in the surrounding rural areas has led to a flood of people coming to Miguel Aleman seeking safety, Mayor Servando Lopez Moreno said.

"Lots of people from Ciudad Mier and Los Guerras have moved here, and many businesses have also moved here. The schools are very full," he said.

Mayor not threatened
The presence of about 100 soldiers and 70 federal police, backed by the municipal police force, make Miguel Aleman one of the most secure cities around, he said.

The mayor said he does not use bodyguards or escorts and has not received any threats.

"I always go around alone and freely. I want to give the people confidence," he said. "If I were to close City Hall and close the schools, everyone would become scared and we'd have more problems."

The mayor said the violence has not penetrated the city's central district and has been kept to the outlying areas. But he was quickly contradicted.

Two women independently gave much different accounts.

"The situation here is very violent, very grave, very critical," said one, who declined to give her name. "No one here has any confidence in the police or the local government. They will tell you it is tranquil, but people believe they are with the narcos."

"The only ones we have confidence in are the army and the federales. And I'd love to have American soldiers come here," she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

jmaccormack@express-news.net



http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/7186388.html