In a sign of the increasing level of security cooperation between the two countries, an elite United States military unit known as the Asymmetric Warfare Group (AWG) is training Mexican soldiers in counternarcotics operations. Written by Geoffrey Ramsey
In Sight
According to a Pentagon source cited by El Universal, the AWG held a joint training exercise in Colorado last April with elements of the Mexican Armed Forces. Though the exact nature of the exercise is classified, the paper reports that the location was chosen in order to simulate the rugged terrain often favored by drug traffickers.
The U.S. army has trained with Mexican armed forces on several other occasions, but according to an anonymous Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) official, the AWG is especially suited for Mexico’s drug violence.
“Asymmetrical war involves two groups with a significant difference in power whether it be in terms of weapons, tactics, or number, and that we observe in the case of the Mexican cartels and the Mexican Army; so this type of training is useful not just in military terms, but also in terms of intelligence to locate weaknesses and combat them, " the official told El Universal.
This revelation comes days after a New York Times investigation said that the U.S. government is sending intelligence operatives and retired military personnel to Mexico to assist in counternarcotics operations in the country for the first time.
As InSight Crime has noted, the security relationship between the U.S. and Mexico has reached a new level, due to the $1.4 billion dollar Merida Initiative. Still, seeing as the death toll in the country continues to rise, it is unclear whether the partnership has brought about significant improvements on the ground.
Additional Links:
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EU ofrece entrenamiento a soldados Mexicanos contra el crimen organizado
Comando de EU entrena a soldados mexicanos
U.S. military works with Mexico to fight drug traffickers
Reinicia EU capacitación de soldados mexicanos
Training Mexican troops is a very dangerous thing, as we all know at least half of the narcos in Mexico were EX-Police,Military,etc. Better to send US -Mexican/American special forces to be outside the comntrol of State/Local Corrupt Mexican Authoritys. In Mexico with Mexicans you can't trust anybody period.
ReplyDeleteTexcoco Mex said.
ReplyDeleteTraining Mexican troops is a very dangerous thing, as we all know at least half of the narcos in Mexico were EX-Police,Military,etc.
Anon you can not deny the Mexican military is also responsible for the apprehension and the death of many narcos.
This Pentagon public relations vocab word, 'asymmetrical warfare', could have come straight from Fort Benning's 'School of the Americas' terrorism manuals. It is a code term for US backed warfare where human rights will not be respected at any level, and the US military is once again training another Latin American military into their trashing of their own paisanos' human rights once again.
ReplyDeleteWhat happens when the US government is always seen as torture instructor for the world? Ask yourselves. Events like 9/11 come out such, do they not?
Entrenando al enemigo. Que estrategia es eso?
ReplyDeleteI wonder how long it will be before they come out straight and tell us The North American Union is here? How long before we see Mexican troops marching on our land during 'insurrections', natural disasters, disarming U.S. citizens. Those of us who've seen the signs for some time now know that this is no paranoia. It's reality. We saw the early signs that the Mexican cartels were being armed by the CIA, we saw that Obama was a gun-grabber(new laws in the southwest), we saw early deployments of National Guard(aka martial law) along our border with the advent of the Cartel Wars, we saw excuse after excuse to implement Spy Drones...albeit with the ignorance of the average-day-Joseph.
ReplyDeleteRichard Nixon lives! 'Counter-terrorism' is not an answer when YOU are the terrorist. You cannot truly fight something when another powerful branch of your own government supports it, can you?
ReplyDelete