In an interview kept in Chihuahua on Saturday, U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar emphatically rejected allegations that the United States was instrumental for the current wave of violence in northern Sinaloa. The state has actually been swallowed up in a ruthless dispute in between 2 factions of the Sinaloa cartel, which seems a power battle following the arrests of 2 cartel leaders in the United States in late July.
Salazar revealed his shock at the idea that the United States might be held liable for the massacres taking place in different areas. He strongly specified, “What is being seen in Sinaloa is not the fault of the United States.”
The arrests of prominent figures in the cartel, consisting of the boy of infamous drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, activated an anticipated rise in violence. As the warring factions and authorities clashed in extreme firefights, the capital city of Culiacan has actually ended up being a battlefield. Military existence has actually heightened, with helicopters circling around overhead and militaries patrolling the streets. The intensifying violence has actually left households afraid of sending their kids to school.
The grim consequences of the clashes has actually seen bodies appearing throughout the city, frequently left exposed on the streets or within lorries. These victims have actually been marked with sombreros, pizza pieces, or boxes connected to them with knives, working as macabre signs of the warring factions' cruelty.
Regional authorities reported that, since Friday, a minimum of 53 individuals had actually been eliminated, and 51 others were missing out on in Sinaloa state considering that the beginning of the dispute. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, throughout an early morning instruction, partly blamed American authorities for the bloodshed. He verified that the U.S. federal government was “collectively accountable” for the violence, declaring that they managed the operation to catch Mayo Zambada, another popular cartel figure.
Salazar had actually formerly refuted claims of American participation in the supposed kidnapping. This allegation even more strains the bilateral relations in between the United States and Mexico, following current stress triggered by criticism of López Obrador's judicial reform strategy.
Critics have actually taken upon the Zambada capture to question López Obrador's method to dealing with cartels. Throughout his administration, he has actually avoided facing these criminal companies and wrongly declared that cartels mostly combat among themselves, appreciating Mexican people. Under López Obrador's management, cartels have actually embraced significantly advanced weapons and methods, consisting of trenches, homemade armored automobiles, and drones. They have actually likewise broadened their impact into brand-new markets, such as migrant smuggling and the financially rewarding avocado service.
While Mexican authorities have actually released an extra 600 soldiers to Sinaloa as supports, Salazar associated the rise in violence to Mexico's more comprehensive security crisis. He stressed, “The truth is that there is an issue of insecurity and violence” in Mexico.
