Widespread Violence Breaks Out In Sinaloa State As Mexico Arrests Son Of ‘El Chapo’ Guzman

 

LA Times: Cartel lays siege to Mexican city after recapture of the son of 'El Chapo' 

Armed men took hostages, burned vehicles and stormed an airport in northern Mexico on Thursday after federal forces captured Ovidio Guzmán, one of the world's most wanted cartel leaders and the son of imprisoned drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. 

The 33-year-old drug boss was arrested after a predawn gunfight in a town north of the city of Culiacán, a stronghold of the Guzmáns’ Sinaloa cartel. 

Even as the cartel mounted attacks across the state, the air force was able to fly the younger Guzmán to Mexico City, said Mexican Secretary of Defense Luis Cresencio Sandoval González. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Even a passenger plane was fired upon .... 'We threw ourselves to the floor': Mexican passenger plane caught in cartel crossfire (Reuters).  

Update: Mexico says at least 29 killed during capture of El Chapo's son (Reuters). 

Widespread Violence Breaks Out In Sinaloa State As Mexico Arrests Son Of ‘El Chapo’ Guzman  

Violence hits Mexico cartel stronghold as ‘Chapo’ son nabbed -- AP

Sinaloa cartel launches violent response as Mexico recaptures El Chapo’s son -- The Guardian  

Sinaloa, Mexico engulfed by violence, chaos after El Chapo son arrest, ahead of Biden visit to country -- FOX News  

Ovidio Guzmán-López: Deadly riots grip Mexican state after arrest of El Chapo's son -- BBC  

Arrest of El Chapo's son sparks deadly riots in Mexico -- Axios

Mexico President Obrador Condemns NATO Policy In Ukraine

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador  

Zero Hedge: Mexico President Slams "Immoral" NATO Proxy War in Ukraine 

The president of Mexico has condemned NATO's approach to the war in Ukraine - labelling it "immoral." 

“How easy it is to say, 'Here, I’ll send you this much money for weapons.' Couldn’t the war in Ukraine have been avoided? Of course it could,” said President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. 

López Obrador didn't elaborate on how, but fair to say a peaceful resolution would have centered on the negotiation of: 

* Some form of independence for the eastern Ukraine provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk 

* A Ukraine government pledge that it will not join NATO 

* Ukraine's recognition that Crimea is now part of Russia 

The increasingly dismal prospects for Ukraine's military now seem to point to a negotiated end to the war that embraces those same three elements, but perhaps with Donetsk and Luhansk—which together comprise the Donbas region—joining Russia outright. 

Read more ....  

Update: Mexican president slams NATO policy in Ukraine (AP)  

WNU Editor: Mexico joins Brazil in trying to not take sides in the Russia - Ukraine war.

Mexico's Official Number Of 'Disappeared' People Has Risen Above 100,000

Mexico has now officially registered more than 100,000 reported missing person cases since 1964. © ICRC/Afilms 

 DW: Mexico's number of 'disappeared' people rises above 100,000 

There are now over 100,000 people in Mexico's national register of the "disappeared." The UN says organized crime is among the leading causes of missing people in the country. 

Mexico's official figure of missing people on Monday surpassed 100,000 for the first time as families pushed authorities to do more to find victims of violence linked to organized crime. 

The interior ministry compiles a national register of the "desaparecidos" — Spanish for missing people — which is periodically updated. 

In the last two years the numbers have spiked from about 73,000 people to more than 100,000 — mostly men.  

Read more .... 

Mexico's Official Number Of 'Disappeared' People Has Risen Above 100,000  

Mexico’s 100,000 ‘disappeared’ is a tragedy, says UN rights chief Bachelet -- UN News  

Mexico's official 'disappeared' list grows to more than 100000 -- Reuters  

Mexico disappearances reach record high of 100,000 amid impunity -- BBC  

Mexico's official list of "disappeared" tops 100,000 as drug gang-linked violence increases -- CBS/AFP

It Is Open Season On The Police And Politicians In Mexico

CNN: At least 88 politicians have been killed in Mexico since September 

Mexico City (CNN)Some parts of the campaign trail in Mexico look like anywhere else -- rallies, bumper stickers, candidates making lofty promises. Other parts -- the threats, the assaults, the murders -- are more unique. 

Political violence mars every election season here and the run up to the June 6 midterm elections has been no different. But this year has been particularly gruesome, even for a country more used to it than most. 

At least 88 politicians or candidates for office have been killed since last September, according to Mexican consulting firm Etellekt Consultores. 

They're part of a group of at least 565 politicians or candidates that have been targeted by some sort of crime, according to the firm. 

Mexico's government says this year's midterm elections will be the largest ever. By the time the polls close on June 6, they might also be its deadliest.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: The cartels have definitely expanded their list of targets and opportunities. 

More News On The Ongoing Violence In Mexico  

In Mexico, cartels are hunting down police at their homes -- AP 

Mexican Cartels Respond To AMLO's "Hugs, Not Bullets" By Hunting Down, Torturing, And Executing Cops At Their Homes -- Zero Hedge  

‘Huge incentives to kill’: Mexico crime groups target election candidates -- The Guardian

Violence Between Rival Mexican Criminal Groups Escalating Ahead Of Mid-Term Elections On June 6

Police officers work at a crime scene where gunmen killed at least 13 Mexican police officers in an ambush in Coatepec Harinas. Photograph: Edgard Garrido/Reuters  

The Guardian: Violence erupts as Mexico’s deadly gangs aim to cement power in largest ever elections  

Clashes have sparked political assassinations and the forced displacement of thousands ahead of crunch 6 June polls 

Violent clashes between rival Mexican criminal groups – and their alleged allies in the security forces – are escalating ahead of mid-term elections in June, triggering a string of political assassinations and the forced displacement of thousands. 

State and federal security forces have actively colluded with – and even fought alongside – the warring factions, according to local civilians, civil society activists and gunmen from various factions. 

But as well as engaging in pitched gun battles, criminal factions are also confronting each other on the electoral field. 

“All the [criminal] groups are trying to make gains right now,” said a Michoacán political consultant with first-hand knowledge of how arrangements are brokered between organized crime and political candidates. 

With more than 21,000 posts in local, state and national government up for election – including 15 state governorships – the 6 June polls are the largest in Mexico’s history, and criminal groups see the elections as an opportunity to further their interests.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: It is when I read articles like this one that I wonder if Mexico is a failed state.

Women's Day Protests Turn Violent In Mexico City As Thousands Rally Against Gendered Murder And Abuse

 

The Guardian: Mexico protests against attacks on women turn violent, as tension with president escalates 

Protesters angry that López Obrador has supported politician accused of sexual assault are calling for greater protections for women 

Women marching on International Women’s Day have clashed with police at barricades surrounding the National Palace in Mexico City, where officers fired pepper spray after the protesters attempted to tear down a metal wall. 

Sixty-two officers and 19 civilians were injured, said Marcela Figueroa, an official of the city’s police agency. 

The Mexico City government “categorically denied” using any kind of gas against protesters. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: That quickly got out of hand. 

 More News On Yesterday's Violent Protests In Mexico City 

A Women’s March in Mexico City Turns Violent, With at Least 81 Injured [Video] -- New York Times 

At least 81 injured in women’s march in Mexico City -- Irish Times 

Mexican Women's Day protests turn violent as thousands rally against gendered murder and abuse -- SBS 

International Women's Day Mexico Protests: AMLO Defends Barricading Palace -- Bloomberg 

Amid women's protests, Mexican president defends his record -- NBC/AP '

Amlo made us public enemy No 1': why feminists are Mexico's voice of opposition -- The Guardian

CIA Says Drug Cartels Control More Than 20% Of Mexico

Pictured above are members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, an organization that was formed under Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán's Sinaloa Cartel in 2010 and which today has a stronghold on 24 of Mexico's 32 states 

Daily Mail: Drug cartels control more than 20% of Mexico according to classified CIA study, as homicides surge to highest levels for 30 years 

 * Classified 2018 CIA report found that drug cartels controlled almost over 20% of the Mexican territory, sources told the Washington Post 

 * The National Institute for Statistics and Geography data shows the continuous spike in murders over the last 30 years 

 * Mexico reported a record-high 36,685 murders in 2018, dipping slightly to 36,476 in 2019 

 * The Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection reported 26,431 murders from January 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020 

More than 20% of Mexico's territory - as many as 151,689 square miles - is under the control of the country's powerful drug cartels, according to a classified CIA report from 2018. 

The revelation comes as homicides in the country have surged to their highest levels for decades, amid bloody turf wars between rival crime groups that smuggle narcotics across the southern United States border for distribution in American cities. 

The secret study by the Central Intelligence Agency was compiled before current Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador entered office in December 2018, and has not been made public. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Only 20%? 

Update: Mexican president taps loyalist as new security chief (AP).

Mexico Now Admitting Its Covid-19 Death Toll Much Higher Than The Official Number

People wait in line before healthcare worker take samples for the coronavirus test at Coayoacán park, in Mexico City last week. Photograph: Henry Romero/Reuters 

The Guardian: Mexico admits Covid death toll much higher than official number 

Disease now suspected of killing at least 139,153 people compared with official toll of 88,924 Mexico’s government has admitted its Covid-19 death toll is dramatically higher than official figures have suggested, with the disease now suspected of killing at least 139,153 people. 

The official coronavirus death toll of Latin America’s second largest economy stands at 88,924 – the fourth highest number in the world after the US, Brazil and India. 

But on Sunday night officials conceded the true number of Covid-19 deaths was likely to be at least 50,000 higher. 

Read more .... 

Update: Mexico reported 193,170 “excess deaths” through Sept 26 (AP) 

WNU Editor: Bottom line. Mexico is really not sure on how many people have died from this pandemic.

Has Mexico's Trust In The Armed Forces Been Shattered Because Of The US Arrest Of Its Former Secretary Of Defense?

Mexico's Defense Secretary Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda salutes soldiers at the Number 1 military camp in Mexico City. 

CNN: Arrest of former defense minister shatters trust in Mexico's armed forces 

(CNN)The general's speech was forceful and unequivocal, his demeanor somber and severe. Impeccably dressed in full military uniform, Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, then Mexican Secretary of Defense, spoke before a group of thousands of Mexican soldiers under his command on a spring day in April 2016 at Military Camp Number One, near Mexico City. 

"Those who act like criminals," the general said, reading from prepared remarks, "those who disrespect people, those who disobey -- not only are they breaking the law but are not worthy of belonging to the armed forces." 

At the time, Cienfuegos Zepeda was reacting to a video showing several soldiers torturing a suspect. The video of the crying woman, sitting on the floor with her hands tied behind her back, had gone viral in Mexico, tarnishing the reputation of an army that had been increasingly used by then President Enrique Peña Nieto and his predecessor, Felipe Calderón, for law enforcement purposes, especially for Mexico's war on drugs. 

The general's words now sound hollow. The man in charge of the Mexican armed forces between 2012 and 2018 was arrested Thursday upon his arrival at Los Angeles International Airport. According to federal prosecutors, the 72-year-old faces drug and money laundering charges.

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: I know a lot of friends from and in Mexico. None of them trust the Mexican government and its institutions, the armed forces included. This arrest of this former defense secretary only confirms what many of them know already. 

Update: Deflecting blame on the US does not solve anything .... Lopez Obrador criticizes DEA role in Mexico after ex-army chief's arrest (Reuters).

Three Mexican Presidents And Over A Dozen Former Ministers Are Now Engulfed By Scandal

Emilio Lozoya. © Bloomberg

Bloomberg: Mexico’s Political Elite Engulfed by Scandal as Document Leaked

(Bloomberg) -- Three Mexican presidents and over a dozen former ministers and legislators were accused of bribery, according to a document attributed to a key witness, in another chapter of a growing corruption scandal that is shaking the country’s political elite.

Former presidents Enrique Pena Nieto, Felipe Calderon and Carlos Salinas de Gortari are among 17 Mexican politicians and a journalist named by Emilio Lozoya, the disgraced ex-head of state oil giant Petroleos Mexicanos, in his purported testimony to Mexican prosecutors, according to a leaked copy of his deposition seen by several media organizations.

While the Attorney General’s office wouldn’t confirm the authenticity of the document, stamped Aug. 11, it opened an investigation into how it was leaked to reporters on Wednesday, including by probing those who had access to the testimony. At least five of the 17 people mentioned in the document have turned to Twitter to reject the accusations.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Corruption in Mexico!!!! I am shocked!!!!

Mexico's Drug Cartels Have Taken Over The Country's Cell Towers

A cellular tower in the municipality of Guadalupe, Mexico July 6, 2020. Reuters

Business Insider/Reuters: 'Narco-antennas' keep appearing in Mexico, another sign cartels are reaching far beyond drugs

* Technicians and contractors working on Mexico's communications antennas often find unofficial hardware installed on them: "narco antennas" used for communications by organized-crime groups.
* The proliferation of the antennas reflects both those groups' expansion into new kinds of criminal rackets as well as their influence with, or intimidation of, legitimate businesses.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The young technician shut off the electricity at a cellular tower in rural Mexico to begin some routine maintenance.

Within 10 minutes, he had company: three armed men dressed in fatigues emblazoned with the logo of a major drug cartel.

The traffickers had a particular interest in that tower, owned by Boston-based American Tower Corp, which rents space to carriers on its thousands of cellular sites in Mexico. The cartel had installed its own antennas on the structure to support their two-way radios, but the contractor had unwittingly blacked out the shadowy network.

The visitors let him off with a warning.

"I was so nervous ... seeing them armed in front of you, you don't know how to react," the worker told Reuters, recalling the 2018 encounter. "Little by little, you learn how to coexist with them, how to address them, how to make them see that you don't represent a threat."

The contractor had disrupted a small link in a vast criminal network that spans much of Mexico. In addition to high-end encrypted cell phones and popular messaging apps, traffickers still rely heavily on two-way radios like the ones police and firefighters use to coordinate their teams on the ground, six law enforcement experts on both sides of the border told Reuters.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The Mexican government knows that this is happening. But have made the decision to turn a blind eye to it.

Mexico Murders Rise To A New Record High In 2019

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Mexico's president, speaks during a news conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico, on Monday, Oct. 21, 2019. © Bloomberg

Bloomberg: Mexico Murders Rise to Record in AMLO’s First Year in Office

(Bloomberg) -- Murders in Mexico rose to a new record in 2019, the first full year of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s presidency, posing a challenge to the popular leader to make good on a campaign promise of reducing violence.

Slayings, often fueled by the nation’s drug cartels, climbed to 34,582, compared with 33,743 a year earlier, according to data released by the national public security system. The 2.5% increase represents the least since homicides fell in 2014 and compared with increases of 17% to 28% in the previous three years.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Here is an easy prediction. 2020 will be also be a record year for murders in Mexico.

Mexico Reports Over 61,000 People Missing Since 2006

The majority of the 62,000 went missing after 2006

BBC: Mexico's war on drugs: More than 60,000 people 'disappeared'

More than 60,000 people have disappeared in Mexico since the start of the country's war on drugs in 2006, according to authorities.

The number is far higher than previous estimates of around 40,000.

On top of this, more than 31,000 people were murdered in the country last year alone.

While drug cartels and organised crime groups are the main perpetrators, security forces are also blamed for deaths and disappearances.

Around 53% of those who disappeared were between the ages of 15 and 35, and 74% were men, officials said.

They put the total of disappeared persons at 61,637 since records began in 1964. However the vast majority were recorded since 2006, which is when then-President Felipe Calderón started a military crackdown on the drugs trade.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This is on top of the 31,000 who were murdered in 2019.

More News On Mexico Reporting Over 61,000 People Missing Since 2006

More than 60,000 Mexicans have disappeared amid drug war, officials say -- Washington Post

More than 60,000 people are missing amid Mexico's drug war, officials say -- The Guardian

Mexico reports over 61,000 people missing, discovery of 873 burial pits amid raging drug war -- FOX News
Mexico drug war: Almost 62,000 people have disappeared since 2006 -- SKY News

21 Killed As Mexican Cartel Battles Police And Army South Of The U.S. Border

The Guardian: Death toll rises to 21 after attack on Mexican town

Suspected cartel members shot at Villa Unión’s mayor’s office before being chased by police

Security forces have shot dead seven more suspected cartel gunmen after a weekend attack on a northern Mexican town, according to authorities, bringing the death toll to 21 and adding fuel to a debate about whether the gangs should be deemed terrorists.

The government of Coahuila state said 10 gunmen and four police were killed in shootouts on Saturday in Villa Unión, days after Donald Trump fanned bilateral tensions by saying he would designate cartels as terrorists.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The U.S. is not going to sit idly by while this bloodshed and mayhem continues at its border .... Mexico will not accept intervention from abroad, president says (Reuters)

More News On This Weekend's Bloodshed In The Northern Mexican Town Of Villa Unión

Death toll put at 20 for Mexico cartel attack near US border -- AP
Shootings in northern Mexico town kill 20, pile pressure on president -- Reuters
Violent clashes in northern Mexico kill more than 20, fueling debate on cartels -- France 24
At least 19 killed as Mexican cartel battles police and army south of U.S. border -- Washington Post
Mexico gunfight near Texas border leaves over a dozen dead -- DW
19 killed in shootout in northern Mexico -- CNN
21 Killed in Hour-Long Gunfight Between Police, Mexican Cartel - Reports -- Sputnik
Mexico will not accept intervention from abroad, president says -- Reuters

Mexico: Poll Finds Public Confidence Highest In Navy, Army And President

The navy, the army and the presidency led the confidence survey. Ratings are a lot or some in blue, little or none in brown and don't know in black.

Mexico News Daily: Poll finds public confidence highest in navy, army and president, lowest in police

Among international leaders, Vladimir Putin regarded favorably by most.

The navy, army and president command the greatest confidence among the Mexican public, according to a new poll.

Published Wednesday by the newspaper El Financiero, the poll shows that the navy is No. 1 in the minds of Mexicans: 69% of respondents have a lot or some trust in the institution.

The navy has long been considered the most trustworthy of Mexico’s armed forces but it hasn’t completely avoided controversy: the United Nations said last year there were “strong indications” that it was responsible for the disappearance of 23 people in Tamaulipas.

Read more ....

WNU editor: An interesting snapshot of Mexico today.

Mexico’s Police 'Don't Stand A Chance' Against The Drug Cartels

The Guardian: Cowed and outgunned: why Mexico’s police 'don't stand a chance' against drug cartels

The 14 October massacre that left 13 state police dead was just one extreme episode of violence in a recent litany of horrors

At first glance, the human skull lying beside the road looked like a piece of rubbish. Once spotted, it was impossible to ignore: charred, broken and punched through with a bullet hole.

Around it, a carpet of bullet casings was scattered across the street which runs through the middle of the village of El Aguaje in Mexico’s western state of Michoacán.

Bones and bullets bore witness to the intensity of a ferocious cartel ambush which two days earlier had killed 13 state police officers and wounded nine.

“It was crazy to send them here like that,” said a young mother who lives a block away from the ambush and asked not to be named. “They were sent to the slaughter.”

And the fact that – more than 48 hours after the attack – human remains and ballistic evidence still lay in the open suggested that any investigation of the crime scene had been cursory and carried out in a state of panic.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The police are outgunned, and their families are exposed to cartel revenge attacks. In such an environment how can they enforce the law.

U.S. Citizens Including Six Children Massacred In Mexico

Daily Mail: 'You need an army to defeat an army': President Trump wages WAR on Mexican drug cartels to 'wipeout monsters' after three American Mormon mothers and six of their children are EXECUTED and their bodies left in burned out SUVs

* At least nine U.S. citizens, including six children, who live in the Mexican border state of Sonora were killed in a shooting attack Monday
* Rhonita Maria LeBaron, died along with her 6-month-old twins and her two other children, aged 10 and 12
* Christina Langford Johnson, Dawna Langford and two of Dawna's children, aged 11 and three, were also killed
* The victims belong to the LeBaron family - a breakaway Mormon community that settled in the hills of northern Mexico decades ago
* At the time of the attack, 17 of the family members were traveling in three cars from the settlement
* There are reports some of the family members, who were dual U.S.-Mexico citizens, were heading to celebrate a wedding anniversary
* According to relatives, drug cartel gunman opened fire and torched vehicles as the victims burned to death
* One child tried to run away but was gunned down while others escaped and hid on the nearby roadside

President Donald Trump has waged a war on Mexican drug cartels after three American mothers and six children from a Mormon community based in northern Mexico were massacred by cartel gunmen.

The victims, who belonged to the LeBaron family, were ambushed about eight miles apart in the Mexican border state of Sonora on Monday.

At the time of the attack, 17 of the family members were traveling in three cars from La Mora - a breakaway settlement founded decades ago in northern Mexico as part an offshoot of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

There are reports some of the family members, who were dual U.S.-Mexico citizens, were heading to celebrate a wedding anniversary.

Read more ....

Update #1: The Latest: Trump offers Mexico aid against drug cartels (AP)
Update #2: Gunmen kill Mormon family members in north Mexico (Reuters)

WNU Editor: Mexico’s president Andrés Manuel López Obrador is trying to make peace with the drug cartels by not enforcing the rule of law. Can someone please tell him that there are some people that can never be reasoned with .... Mexico's president under pressure over 'hugs not bullets' cartel policy (The Guardian).

Mexican President Obrador Is Denying Reports Of Army Discontent

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador attends the Mexico's Independence Day military parade in Mexico City, capital of Mexico, Sept. 16, 2019. (Photo by Francisco Canedo/Xinhua)

Reuters: Mexican president dismisses report alleging military discontent

MEXICO CITY, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador denied on Thursday discord among the upper echelons of the military, after a newspaper published the alleged speech of an army general sharply criticizing the government and a "politically polarized society."

Lopez Obrador took office late last year pledging to pacify the country with a security policy that deemphasizes armed confrontation, following years of military-led conflict with powerful drug cartels.

Asked about a report published on Wednesday by newspaper La Jornada detailing a recent speech by an army general blaming Lopez Obrador for polarizing the country and offending the military's leadership, Lopez Obrador denied any widespread discontent within the ranks.

"Regarding risks of division in the army, that doesn't exist," he said during his regular morning news conference.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: There are many reasons on why morale among the Mexican Army is low. To begin, the Mexican National Guard were defeated by drug cartel enforcers last month .... The Mexican Government And Its Army Were Defeated This Week By The Sinaloa Cartel (October 19, 2019), and one can argue that the drug cartels are still in control. The Mexican government's response to this crisis has also been eye-opening, refusing to acknowledge that this was a major defeat .... Failed mission raises doubts about Mexican security strategy (AP). Army morale is also taking a hit over Mexican President Obrador's constant remarks on disbanding the entire army .... Mexican President Obrador Wants To Disband The Nation's Army (July 1, 2019).

14 Mexican Polive Officers Killed In Ambush By Mexico's Most Powerful Cartel

The Mexican military guards the site of Monday morning's horrific attack that left at least 14 cops dead and three others injured

Daily Mail: Mexico's most powerful cartel ambushes and kills 14 police officers while they were serving a warrant in the central state of Michoacán and leave behind a chilling note to 'dirty cops'

* At least 14 cops have been killed and three others injured when they were reportedly attacked Monday by Mexico's most powerful criminal organization
* At least six police officers have been reported missing, according to the Ministry of Public Safety
* Officers were carrying out warrant in Aguililla, Michoacán, when they were ambushed by armed men allegedly tied to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel
* The cops were going to transport a woman and a her daughter to Morelia, the capital of Michoacán when they were attacked while waiting for them
* Cellphone video of the horrible scene showed two police vehicles set on fire

At least 14 police officers have been killed and three others injured after they were ambushed by gunmen allegedly tied to Mexico's most powerful criminal organization.

The cops were executing a warrant approximately at 8am Monday at a home in El Aguaje, a town in the municipality of Aguililla, when 'several armed civilians fired on them', according the Michoacán state police.

At least six police officers were reported missing, according to the Ministry of Public Safety.

A cellphone video recorded by a motorist showed two police vehicles set on fire by purported members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Read more ....

More News On Today's Ambush That Killed 14 Mexican Police Officers

Fourteen police dead in Mexico gun ambush -- BBC
14 police killed in western Mexico attack - officials -- RTE
More than a dozen police killed in ambush in violent Mexican state -- Reuters
Mexico Ambush Kills 14 Cops in Deadliest Attack of AMLO's Tenure -- Bloomberg

Mexico Facing A New Record For Homicides And A Sluggish Economy

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Mexico’s president, speaks during a news conference at the National Palace in Mexico City. Photo: Bloomberg

Bloomberg: Mexico’s Record-Setting Homicides, Slugglish Economy Test AMLO

(Bloomberg) -- Mexico’s homicides in August show the nation remains on pace to break last year’s record, while a national poll showed President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s approval falling as the economy teeters on the brink of a technical recession.

Murders rose 3.3% in the first eight months of the year to 23,063 from 22,316 last year, according to government data released Friday. The August toll rose to 2,966 from 2,954 in the same month a year ago. The uptick is unsettling investors already uncertain about an economy now estimated by the central bank to grow 0.2%-0.7% this year, down from 0.8%-1.8% previously.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is fast approaching his first anniversary as President of Mexico, and he is not succeeding on the two issues that he vowed he was going to solve .... lowering Mexico's homicide/crime rate, and improving the economy. I give him two more years to produce positive results, or he will be facing some serious backlash.