Since 2006, after the government implemented a disputed anti-drug operation involving federal troops, Mexico has been engulfed in a spiral of cartel-related conflict.
Digital Desk: The State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) informed that nineteen people were killed in a shooting incident in central Mexico on Sunday. After reports of an attack on a festive gathering in the Michoacan state town of Las Tinajas were reported, authorities reached the spot at around 10.30 pm. “19 bodies with gunshot wounds were found on the spot, out of which 16 were men, and three were of women. While several others were injured and taken to the hospital,” the FGE said. The office of Michoacan’s secretary of public security twitted, “Federal authorities are working to arrest those responsible for the violent acts.” However, till now, the authorities did not give a reason for the shooting. Michoacan and neighbouring Guanajuato are two of Mexico’s most violent states, owing to turf wars between rival gangs involved in drug trafficking and other criminal activities, such as selling stolen fuel. Michoacan is also the world’s largest avocado-producing area. Last month, threats were made against a US inspector working there, prompting the US to suspend Mexican avocado exports for more than a week. An armed attack in the state last month was believed to result from a gang feud that was reported to have killed up to 17 people awake. According to deputy security minister Ricardo Mejia, the attack was motivated by revenge by one cell of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel against another. The government stated that it could not confirm the death toll since nobody was recovered, although DNA samples from 11 possible victims were collected at the scene. Since 2006, after the government implemented a disputed anti-drug operation involving federal troops, Mexico has been engulfed in a spiral of cartel-related conflict. As per official figures, there have been over 340,000 murders since then, most of which have been blamed on criminals fighting. Last month, armed men attacked a house in central Mexico, killing nine people in an “execution” of six men and three women that shook a middle-class area of the usually peaceful town of Atlixco. Puebla state governor Miguel Barbosa stated, “The attack occurred at a place where sale and distribution of drugs took place. Till now, the identities of the victim were unknown.” Also Read: Earthquake of magnitude 7.1 rocks Mexico’s capitalContinue Reading
