Mexican drug war continues along border

Valley Morning Star:

Drug traffickers resisting a nationwide crackdown on organized crime are responsible for two gun battles that erupted in the state of Tamaulipas earlier this week, Mexican officials said.

But despite these violent acts of defiance, the country’s authorities renewed their commitment Wednesday to weeding out the Gulf Cartel’s presence on the state’s northern border.

“Our dedication is stronger than ever,” said Miriam Medel Garcia, spokeswoman for the Mexican Consulate in McAllen. “If we are going to fight them, we have to be prepared to suffer some incidents.”

On Tuesday, gunfire erupted outside Reynosa’s downtown Hotel Virrey. The resulting firefight left two federal police officers dead, three others injured, and evidence of violent conflict strewn across two locations.

A day earlier federal authorities clashed with cartel members in Rio Bravo, Tamps., across the border from Donna.

Members of the Tamaulipas-based Gulf Cartel are responsible for both attacks, Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora said in a written statement released Wednesday.

But the violence suggests that President Felipe Calderón’s yearlong campaign against drug traffickers is working, Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora said in a written statement released Wednesday.

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Another day brings another gun battle with the drug insurgents. What it does show is that the government is not backing down nor are the drug fighters. It is a fight that Mexico has to win. While the article suggest that this fighting is not effecting tourism it probably is in ways to subtle to notice. Mexico has become a dangerous place for Mexicans and tourist.