24 bodies found near Mexico City
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The drug-related violence continued in Mexico this weekend, with the biggest mass killing since the country’s relentless drug war exploded two years ago. The Times’ Tracy Wilkinson reports:
‘Gagged and bound, the bodies were dumped on a grassy roadside littered with trash. Most had been shot in the head, probably on the spot, judging from the spent shell casings. Some were carted there, already dead, authorities believe. ‘In what appears to be the largest single mass killing since Mexico’s vicious drug war exploded nearly two years ago, the bodies of 24 men were discovered late Friday about 30 miles from this capital. The execution-style slayings probably were the latest battle between rival drug gangs, officials said Saturday.’
There appears to be no let-up in sight to the killings, which analysts say are designed to frighten the public and erode faith in President Felipe Calderon‘s war against the country’s powerful drug cartels.
Earlier this week, Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Patricia Espinosa urged the United States government to release the $400 million promised to Calderon’s government as part of a bill called the Merida Initiative. Approved in June, the money was pledged in order to help Mexico in its fights against its drug lords and organized crime networks, but the funds have yet to be released.
The Merida Initiative has proved controversial with activists on both sides of the political spectrum in the United States. Some who worry that the funds will go into the hands of a police force and legal branch in Mexico with a long history of corruption. See the bill discussed here.
Read more about the Merida Initiative here and more about Mexico here.
For our special report on Mexico’s drug wars, go to our Mexico Under Siege page.
-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City