Mexico
Mexico: US to train commandos for ‘drug war’
A US Special Operations group is set to train Mexican commandos to fight drug traffickers with the techniques the US military has used to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Tag: narco wars
Central America
Honduras: deadly DEA raid —again
A suspected drug trafficker was killed in the first DEA-backed drug raid in Honduras following a five-month suspension in radar intelligence sharing between the countries.
The Andes
DEA back to Venezuela?
In the first sign of a thaw in relations between the US and Venezuela, Caracas is weighing a request from Washington to allow a return of DEA officials to the South American country.
The Andes
Colombia: FARC ends unilateral ceasefire
Colombia’s FARC rebels announced the immediate end of a two-month unilateral ceasefire and renewed its call for a bilateral truce to hold peace talks with the government.
North Africa
Algeria: army raids gas complex seized by jihadists
Algerian military forces attacked the Amenas gas complex in the interior Sahara, where a breakaway faction of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb took dozens of hostages.
Mexico
Peace of the graveyard in Ciudad Juárez?
Violent deaths in Ciudad Juárez dropped to 800 last year, down from a peak of 3,622 in 2010—likely because the Sinaloa Cartel has finally crushed local rival, the Juárez Cartel.
The Andes
Bolivia wins coca-chewing victory at UN
Bolivia was re-admitted to the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs —with a special dispensation recognizing traditional use of coca leaf as legal within its borders.
Mexico
Hezbollah link to Zapatistas? Not!
An Israeli press account plays a cynical game of connect-the-dots to link Hezbollah and the Zetas to the Zapatista rebels in Chiapas. Don't believe the hype.
Southeast Asia
Burma: new airstrikes on Kachin rebels
Burma's army claimed responsibility for air-strikes against Kachin rebel positions in the north—less than a day after the government denied the strikes had taken place.
The Andes
Bolivia: progress seen in coca policy
Total area planted with coca in Bolivia dropped by up to 13% last year, as both eradication efforts and the areas where coca can be legally cultivated were expanded.
The Andes
Bolivia: prison corruption scandal widens
A Brooklyn businessman was freed from prison in Bolivia on money-laundering charges after he accused authorities of extorting him and illegally seizing his goods.
Mexico
Mexico: bloody Christmas in Michoacán, Sinaloa
A spate of shootouts between rival cartels and police forces left over 20 dead around the Christmas holiday in the Mexican states of Michoacán, Jalisco and Sinaloa.