16 bodies found in abandoned van in Mexico September 11, 2012 - 12:41 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Police in Mexico say they have found the bodies of 16 men inside an abandoned van beside a road in the western state of Guerrero. A local prosecutor said all the bodies had multiple bullet wounds, BBC News reported. Police believe the 16 men, who are yet to be identified, could be the victims of an ongoing turf war between two drug cartels, the Michoacan Family and the Knights Templar. Eleven bodies were found on a nearby highway last month. The governor of Guerrero state, Angel Aguirre, said the victims were from the neighboring state of Michoacan. "The information I have at this stage is that they are victims of a clash that took place in Michoacan and brought here," he said. The van was found in the town of Coyuca de Catalan, near Mexico's Pacific coast. Aguirre said he will ask for the deployment of extra troops and federal police in Guerrero state. Tackling drug-related violence is one of the main challenges facing the Mexican president-elect, Enrique Pena Nieto, who is due to be sworn in on December 1. More than 55,000 people have been killed in such violence since President Felipe Calderon deployed the armed forces to combat the powerful drug cartels in 2006. Partner news  Top stories U.S. officials say they want to advance efforts to start talks between the Syrian government and opposition leaders. The international conference, backed by Russia and the U.S., aims to find a political solution to the conflict in Syria. Nuland, a career foreign service officer who was until recently State's top spokesperson, was expected to be nominated the post. Alkhatib said Assad should respond within 20 days and that he should then be given a month to dissolve parliament.   Partner news |  Latest news Israeli security expert says Syrian hacker attack foiled  Israel refuses to comment on the strike but officials at the time said Iranian missiles set for Hezbollah were hit.Gyumri to host Europe Day celebrations The celebrations will feature a small information fair, with EU project representatives to brief the visitors on the initiatives launched.1st Armenian interactive fairy tale available for iPhone/iPod Touch The tale sparked great interest in Diaspora. Such projects, namely interactive version of “Alice in Wonderland”, are popular abroad.Expert says Russian FM’s remarks in context of Madrid Principles No decisive developments will follow the meeting between Russian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers, David Jamalyan said. |
