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WORLD NEWS Monday 7 February 2022

Mexican cartels now use IEDs as well as bomb-dropping drones

military, said "the worrisome and take on rival groups." village of Loma Blanca
thing is the improvisation It is not clear if the impro- showed Associated Press
that they (criminal groups) vised land mines are only journalists a small crater,
are doing with engineer- being used by one side with a round metal plate,
ing, to create weapons, in the bloody turf battle where they said the Tepal-
boobytraps, explosives and for control of Michoacan catepec forces had deto-
so on." state, which drug traffick- nated a land mine.
Rather than trying to fight ers value for its seaport and While cartel gunmen across
an outright war with the smuggling routes, as well Mexico have used hand
army — which they know as the opportunity to ex- grenades and rocket-pro-
they would lose — Ibarrola tort money from the state's pelled grenades against
said that with the IEDs and growers of avocados and police and soldiers before,
other devices "more than limes. IEDs have been practically
anything else, what they In November, residents unknown in the country's
are trying to do is threaten of the Jalisco-dominated drug wars.q
Soldiers patrol near the hamlet Plaza Vieja in the Michoacan
state of Mexico, Oct. 28, 2021.
Associated Press
By MARK STEVENSON months.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — In the The warring gangs already
war raging between drug frequently use homemade
cartels in western Mexico, armored cars and drones
gangs have begun using modified to drop small
improvised explosive de- bombs. But it would be the
vices (IEDs) on roads to dis- first time IEDs have been
able army vehicles. successfully used by cartels
The self-defense movement in Mexico.
in the town of Tepalcate- The Mexican Army did not
pec, in western Michoacan respond to a request for
state, said improvised land specific comment on the
mines severely damaged IEDs. But the Defense De-
an army armored car late partment did say army pa-
last week. trols were attacked in the
A spokesman for the move- area Saturday four times
ment, which is battling the with explosives, home-
Jalisco cartel, supplied made armored cars and
photos showing a disabled gunfire that wounded 10
army light armored vehicle soldiers. The department
on a road with damage he did not specify what type
said was caused by such a of explosives were involved.
mine. The Milenio television sta-
The spokesman, who re- tion described the IEDs as
fused to reveal his name for PVC pipe bombs buried
fear of reprisals, said the ex- with a round metal base
plosion happened last Sat- below and a conical metal
urday in the town of Taix- cap to direct or concen-
tan, near Tepalcatepec, trate the blast.
where locals have been Security analyst Juan Ibar-
battling Jalisco gunmen for rola, who specializes in the