The Mexican government offers 26 Templar leaders in the spotlight

Question

The Mexican Government has identified 26 members of the Knights Templar cartel as specific and strategic objectives of the operation that launched in Michoacan, in southwestern Mexico.

Michoacán through a crisis of violence since 4 January. That day the paramilitaries, armed civilian groups raised against the Templars took over Parácuaro a Michoacan town about 20 miles Apatzingán, considered as one of the bases of drug cartel operations. Last week President Enrique Peña Nieto announced a new strategy to regain control of that State.

In addition to 26 suspected drug traffickers that the Government has set a target to dismantle Templar, another hundred members of the cartel structure that act as " square heads " ie regional leaders of the organization. This was explained by the commissioner for security and integral development in the State of Michoacán, Alfredo Castillo, the Tuesday afternoon.

In a meeting with representatives of the foreign media, Castillo said he has no " incontrovertible evidence" that Nazario Moreno, El Chayo, one of the main leaders of the Templars alive. The government of former President Felipe Calderon (2006-2012) announced in December 2010 that Moreno was killed in a military operation in Apatzingán. Some versions suggest, however, that the capo survived the attack.

" So far we have no incontrovertible evidence that we might suggest that this person is alive," he said. "We said we can do suspect some sort of myth or legend. There is no evidence and therefore we can not say it's a target, "he added.

The commissioner explained that the operation of the government of President Enrique Peña Nieto in Michoacan Our aim is to mitigate the violence that runs through the state. Since February 2013, armed civilian groups that are defined as "self-defense " declared war on Templar in Michoacan. Control so far at least 18 municipalities.

"The strategy passes the no shock, no confrontation while for territorial control," he said. "We're talking about looking neutralize their ability to operate [the Templars ], which includes cutting its funding sources."

The commissioner explained that there are currently about 4,800 members of the 4,500 federal police and other armed forces in Michoacan. Castillo refused to allow time to declare an end to conflict and disarmament of paramilitary groups, whose number of members did not know quantify.