More than 23,000 people have died in drug-related violence since December 2006

Mexico’s deadly drug violence claims hundreds of lives in past 5 days

MEXICO CITY—An explosion of drug violence in Mexico has killed hundreds of people in the past five days and prompted the country’s president to issue a 5,000-word manifesto warning that the fight against organized crime must continue “or we will always live in fear.”

As the latest spasm of killing has spread across the country, cartel assassins, local thugs and federal troops have died in running gun battles, highway ambushes and prison melees. On Tuesday, shooting broke out in the popular tourist town of Taxco, south of the Mexican capital. Mexican army troops, acting on a tip, raided a house and a firefight ensued, leaving 14 gunmen dead.

The string of grisly attacks since Thursday has included the execution-style killing of 19 drug addicts in a rehabilitation clinic and several assaults targeting police, including an ambush this week that killed 12 federal officers.

In an editorial printed in newspapers nationwide Monday, President Felipe Calderón defended his drug war as vital to the country’s security. More than 23,000 people have died in drug-related violence since December 2006, when Calderón first sent the Mexican military into the streets, according to a government report...more

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