Mexico under siege

Family members of one of the slain state policemen console each other after seeing the pockmarked pickup the officers had been riding in when they were attacked in central Culiacan. The assailants, most likely cartel hitmen, escaped. At least 10 people died in 24 hours ending Wednesday night in Culiacan, in Sinaloa state, which has become a hub of violence since the federal government launched a crackdown against drug gangs.

November 20, 2008