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| Courtesy Reuters |
~ 10/18: At this point in time about 2:30am, there have been no reports of fatalities from the violence in Culiacan:
~ From CNN: Pictures on sidebar:
Panico en Culiacan, Sinaloa: Detienen (y Luego Liberan) a Hijo del chapo Tras Cruento
Mexican federal forces arrested Ovidio Guzmán López, 28, in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa, in the north of the country, in what the secretary of Public Security of the state of Sinaloa, Cristóbal Castañeda, called "federally coordinated operation" .
But Guzmán López was released by security forces after being briefly apprehended, a decision that was made to protect lives, Mexico's Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Alfonso Durazo told Reuters.
According to ADN40, a CNN affiliate, armored vehicles with military-grade weapons exchanged heavy artillery with federal troops in Culiacán, in the heart of Sinaloa.
The shooting forced many residents to flee in panic, others remained locked in their homes while outside, soldiers engaged in intense shootings throughout the day. Residents have been asked to stay inside their homes and schools were closed until further notice, authorities said, according to ADN40.
The images on social networks seemed to show the terror unleashed among the inhabitants of Culiacán. Columns of black smoke fluttered on the horizon while people were on the ground, mothers comforting their children while seeking shelter behind parked cars.
The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, told reporters Thursday night at the Mexico City airport that the security cabinet was in a meeting and would give a report on the situation later.
Late Thursday, the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection of Mexico, Alfonso Durazo, said government operations in Culiacán had been suspended after a violent exchange between federal entities and criminal groups.
Durazo said law enforcement officers and members of the Mexican National Guard were conducting a routine patrol when they were attacked by people inside a house in the city, around 3:30 p.m. local time (4:30 p.m. ET ).
Durazo said law enforcement officers and members of the Mexican National Guard were conducting a routine patrol when they were attacked by people inside a house in the city, around 3:30 p.m. local time (4:30 p.m. ET ).
During the confrontation, other members of an organized crime group arrived at the scene, with more firepower than the authorities. Violent attacks also broke out in different parts of the city creating "a panic situation," Durazo said.
With the "purpose of safeguarding the security and tranquility of the Culiacan society, the officials of the security cabinet agreed to suspend such actions."
A shooting broadcast live in the Mexican state of Sinaloa has surprised journalists and spectators alike in what appears to be a confrontation between federal troops and members of a cartel that are reportedly trying to rescue the children of the Mexican drug dealer Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán from the hands of the law.
On the other hand, classes at the Autonomous University of Sinaloa on Friday were suspended due to violence in the entity, according to the institution.
'This measure is taken for the sole purpose of safeguarding the integrity of students, teachers and university workers throughout the state.
All are requested to remain calm and be attentive to official and institutional information. '
#culiacan #sinaloa #uas pic.twitter.com/LUtZmlt71S
- Official UAS (@uasoficialmx) October 18, 2019"
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All day hourly coverage from Zeta describing" hundreds of armed men blocking the streets and shooting at anything that moves" with videos from tweets.
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~ 10/17/19: Around 9:00 pm, Riodoce reports:
Balean Sede Policiaca en El Fuerte, en Ahome Comandos Realizan Bloqueos
"The north of Sinaloa was no stranger to the shootings and roadblocks that began in Culiacán after the capture of Ovidio Guzmán López, heir to Joaquín Guzmán Loera, el Chapo , leader of the Sinaloa Cartel already detained in the United States.
And it is that south of Los Mochis, about 10 kilometers to Juan José Ríos, a command set tires on the south lane to prevent the circulation of units; To the north, about 30 kilometers to the state limits, armed men seized two cargo trucks that crossed both lanes preventing traffic.
Those retired after an hour.
Meanwhile, in the municipality of El Fuerte, about 50 kilometers to the northeast, subjects shot at the headquarters of the municipal police, without knowing the balance of injured or injured people.
Subsequently, in Cabanillas, the same command was confronted with agents of the National Guard for half an hour. The shooting does not have more data.
The municipal police closed the circulation to Choix and Los Mochis for three hours.
The situation in El Fuerte is tense."
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~ 10/17/19: Around 10:00pm Riodoce reports: (videos)
Esta Noche en Culiacan Siquen Bloqueos, Quema de Vehiculos y Grupos Armados (videos)
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Everyone is waiting for a press conference from AMLO regarding the situation, and to see if in fact Mexico is to have a more "peaceful" future as promised and of course if the Sinaloa Cartel will retreat or act as a catalyst for more widespread disruption.
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Latest report from BBC.
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Finally, a Security Alert from the U.S. Consulate General, Hermosillo, Mexico:
Location: Culiacan, Sinaloa
Event: Consulate General Hermosillo is aware of press reports of violence between Mexican government forces and criminal groups throughout Culiacan, Sinaloa. Mexican officials have directed people to shelter in place. Schools and other activities in the city are cancelled until further notice.
Actions to Take:
- Avoid the area.
- Monitor the local news for updates, follow directions from local officials, and in case of emergency call 911.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive safety messages and other travel information.
U.S. Consular Agency Mazatlán
From Mexico: 01-662-690-3262
From the U.S.: 1-844-528-6611
E-mail: ConAgencyMazatlan@state.gov
U.S. Consulate General Hermosillo, Mexico
+52 662-289-3500
HermoACS@state.gov
https://mx.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/
State Department – Consular Affairs
888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444
Mexico Country Information
Follow U.S. Department of State Travel.gov on Facebook and Twitter.
Follow U.S. Embassy Mexico City on Facebook and Twitter.
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10/18:Update/edit @ a little after4:00PM:
Okay I cannot get through to Riodoce, link keeps coming up saying "Riodoce experiencing technical dificulties" - could be the site is just swamped and loaded. Meanwhile however, here is most recent BBC report covering the AMLO Press conference and reactions to his statements:
~ From BBC: (videos & pictures included in Spanish text version; more reports on the sidebar)
Violencia en Culiacan: Los Motivos de AMLO Para Defender la Liberacion del Hijo de "El Chapo" (y las duras criticdas que recibio)
"Violence in Culiacán: AMLO's motives to defend the release of the son of "El Chapo" (and the harsh criticism he received)
The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, supported on Friday the decision of his security cabinet to release Ovidio Guzmán, son of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera, after the bloody confrontation that was recorded with the police in Culiacán , Sinaloa.
The authorities confirmed Friday that the fighting left at least 8 dead, 16 injured and 49 inmates escaped.
"The capture of a criminal cannot be worth more than the lives of people," López Obrador said in his daily press conference.
Many human beings were at risk ," he said.
His position and government action in the event in Culiacán generated great controversy in the country, reflected in the press and social networks, which were flooded with messages against the government.
However, after the capture " there was a very violent reaction , the lives of many people were put at risk." Within that framework the decision was made to free Ovid Guzman.
What did AMLO say?
After what happened on Thursday, the president considered Friday that his security cabinet made the right decision to release Ovid Guzman because "many human beings were at risk.""They made decisions that I endorse because the situation became very difficult," said the Mexican president in his traditional morning press conference.
- The images of chaos and violence unleashed in Culiacán by the attempt to capture Ovidio Guzmán López
- Violence in Culiacán: the business secret for which the Sinaloa cartel survives despite the imprisonment of "El Chapo" in the US
López Obrador considered that what happened does not affect the image of his government nor does it send a signal of weakness.
"You can't put out the fire with the fire," he insisted. "We don't want dead, we don't want war" as other governments did, he said.
"The previous strategy turned the country into a cemetery," said AMLO, referring to the governments of former presidents Felipe Calderón (2006-2012) and Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2012), in which more than 250,000 deaths are estimated and More than 40,000 disappeared by the so-called war on drug trafficking, the EFE agency said.
"Formally there was no detention," the secretary acknowledged, because the legal requirements for it were not met.
At the conference, officials acknowledged that several soldiers were taken hostage by the Sinaloa Cartel.
They were released when the military guarding Ovid Guzman let him go.
"The consequences could be much greater, so it was estimated," said Secretary of Public Security and Citizen Protection, Alfonso Durazo.
"A bent state"
The decision of the authorities, however, was not well received." It is a defeat to the country ... The facts of this Thursday in Culiacan paint a dramatic picture, the Mexican state bent before the criminals," wrote journalist Carlos Loret de Mola, in the newspaper El Universal, in Mexico.
The controversy was also reflected in social networks , under the tags #AMLOEstamosContigo, #AMLORenuncia and #EstadoFallido.
Government critics recalled that in 2015, when "El Chapo" escaped from a Mexican jail, AMLO said in a tweet that if he did not resign the security cabinet of then President Enrique Peña Nieto there would be doubt that his government was complicit .
For its part, the parliamentary group of the PAN in the Senate condemned the decisions taken by the federal government in the Culiacan operation by "claudicating and beating in retreat, defeated," newspaper El Universal reported.
He also demanded that the president make changes in his "failed strategy to combat crime and operators".
Both the Secretary of Public Security and Citizen Protection, Alfonso Durazo, and López Obrador himself, reaffirmed their defense of their policy in response to criticism.
"It is not easy (to fight against crime). It is a process, it is not easy because the problem of violence has been advanced a lot and we have to face two mafias white collar crime and organized crime, that is what we face "argued the president. "
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10/18: From PBS - Special Report with Special Guest, Denise Dresser !!! Video
Mexico Failed To Capture The Son of 'El Chapo' . Can It Contain Drug Cartels ?
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10/18: From Proceso: Azam Ahmed Has the Last Word
Con Escape del Hijo de "Chapo" Merxico Sufre Una Derrota Impresionante
Por, Azam Ahmed| The NY Times
"MEXICO CITY. - Escaping, it seems, is a shared feature of the Guzman family.
And that is embarrassing for the Mexican government.
The last member of the family who escaped the arrest, El Chapo's son, Ovidio Guzmán López, achieved his own feat for government humiliation this week, when his henchmen forced a patrol of at least 30 elements of the armed forces to Release it after capturing it.
The surprising surrender of very surpassed Mexican forces, taken hostage by outlaws and forced to release a prominent suspect in their custody, began with a siege of the city of Culiacán on Thursday by members of the Sinaloa Cartel, once headed by El Chapo
Videos of fierce street shootings, armed men blocking roads, residents fleeing to safe places and clouds of black smoke coming out of burning vehicles flooded social networks.
According to reports, after the capture of the young Guzman, his cartel organized a fierce assault to obtain his freedom and prevent his extradition to the United States.
But the government remained silent, asking citizens to stay indoors and avoid being on the street for most of the day.
Later, he clarified, at least in part, saying that a patrol had tripped over Guzman, but had suspended the operation when enemy combatants outnumbered it in numbers and weapons.
Then the truth was learned, released by local media. The patrol was actually an operation planned to capture Guzman and extradite him to the United States, the government said Friday.
The armed forces managed to stop him, but were forced to let him go after eight of his members were taken by force and held hostage, the government said.
Surrounded by enemies, without a clear plan of support on the ground or in the air, and without a clear exit strategy, the soldiers yielded and returned to Guzman.
"Decisions were made that support, what support because the situation became very bad and many citizens were at risk, many people, and it was decided to protect the lives of people," said President Andrés Manuel López Obrador at a press conference this Friday. "You can't value the life of a criminal more than the life of people."Iván Archivaldo also escaped
According to a former US official and another person informed about the matter, the force behind the rapid and effective response of the cartel was another Guzman: El Chapo's eldest son, Iván Archivaldo, who has played a leading role in the cartel since they caught to his father, extradited to the United States and sentenced to life imprisonment in July on charges of drugs, murder and money laundering.
They said that Ivan was also initially captured by the military, but that his henchmen quickly defeated the armed forces and secured his release. Once free, the older brother orchestrated an amazing show of strength to ensure the freedom of his brother, Ovid.
The effort included not only retaining the soldiers as hostages, but also kidnapping their families, according to the two people informed about the matter, who were not authorized to speak in public. Government press officers did not respond to requests for comment.
The victory of the cartel offered a terrifying vision of the power exerted by organized crime in Mexico, distilling in a single eight-hour stretch the extent to which the nation is captive by criminal networks, without a plan to combat the scourge of violence
It was a great loss for a president who has always avoided doubts about his security strategy or, in the eyes of critics, his lack of one.
Like his predecessor, López Obrador has tried to distance himself from the violence that plagues his nation, choosing to focus on a list of national programs to combat poverty.
But, also like his predecessor, he may have reached a point where neglecting such concerns is disastrous for his presidency.
For the previous president, Enrique Peña Nieto, that moment came with the disappearance of 43 students in the city of Iguala, a mystery that remains unsolved.
Some wondered if the dominance over the military will become a similar turning point for López Obrador. For many, Thursday's events developed as if they were written by an overly enthusiastic screenwriter, pushing the limits of credibility.
"No one could imagine such a bad Netflix show," said Alejando Hope, a security analyst in Mexico City. “This combination of capturing man and then releasing him? That is new".It was not clear how the military hoped to detain a leader of one of the most powerful cartels in the world in their territory without sufficient support or adequate plans to withdraw.
At his press conference on Friday, López Obrador spent most of his time ignoring or avoiding the issue, while rejecting criticism for the shameful defeat of the government at the hands of organized crime.
"You can't fight fire with fire," he said of the decision to free Guzman. "We don't want dead people, we don't want war."
Even so, fighting fire with fire was, in the end, what happened. At least one civilian was killed, seven members of the security forces were injured and eight were taken hostage, according to Mexican security officials.
Blame the military
Lopez Obrador's security cabinet later blamed the soldiers and acknowledged that the operation had been poorly planned.
Public outrage has increased, not only because of the shameful defeat, but also because of the government's lackluster strategy to combat illegality.
"I can summarize this as a failure of the tactical to the strategic," said Christian Ehrlich, a security expert at Riskop, a Mexican risk analysis firm.
From the beginning, López Obrador has struggled to face the growing violence of the nation. After promising to eliminate the military from the streets, where clashes with organized crime have only increased violence, he chose to create a new force, the National Guard.
The Mexican soldiers and others were transferred to the new team, whose mandate was not clear from the beginning. With the Army, the Navy and the Federal Police already deployed in hot spots across the country, the government has struggled to articulate its vision on the role of the National Guard.
In recent months, the new force has inadvertently stumbled on its mission due to pressure from President Donald Trump. His task now is largely focused on monitoring the nation's borders and stopping migrants heading to Mexico on their way to the United States.
This task has led those forces to a new direction, apart from public safety, which has left some areas with fewer resources.
Homicides have reached new records every year for the past two years. This year is no different: the nation is on its way to suffer its worst run of murders since the government began counting them.
Now, with the liberation of Guzman by the armed forces, the government has suffered one of the most memorable defeats in its 13 years of war on drugs.
“The events in Culiacán occur after a week that began with the murder of 13 state police in Michoacán and a shooting outside Iguala, in Guerrero, which left 15 dead,” said Raúl Benítez, a security expert at the University National Autonomous of Mexico (UNAM). "What comes next?"In recent years, Mexico had become an expert in capturing the so-called "kingpins", for better or worse. While the strategy has failed to calm the violence, US and Mexican officials were comforted to learn that it has managed to stop and extradite important figures.
Guzman's father, El Chapo, was arrested several times before he was sentenced to life imprisonment in the United States. The leaders of the Zetas, the Gulf Cartel and a long list of others have also been arrested in a coordinated action between the police and the armed forces.
With the last mistake, many fear that the government's decision to let Guzman embolden the cartels.
"The government was forced to accept control of the cartel over the city and not face them," Benitez said. "For the people of Culiacán, the president is sending a very hard message: the cartel is in charge here."~~~~~
10/18: Riodoce back online.
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Changing the video for something a bit more mellow, especially after the Azam Ahmed report. Have a nice weekend.
