Space Travel News  
MILPLEX
Mexican cartels armed from Central America: US

by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) April 5, 2011
Mexico's notoriously violent drug cartels get much of their weapons from stockpiles in Central America left over from conflicts in the region, a top US military official said Tuesday.

"Over 50 percent of the military-type weapons that are flowing throughout the region have a large source between Central American stockpiles, if you will, left over from wars and conflicts in the past," General Douglas Fraser, head of the US Southern Command, told a Senate hearing.

Fraser said last week that US authorities believed there were between 45 million and 80 million weapons circulated in Central America, much of those left over from civil wars and other conflicts.

Fraser said US authorities have "a lot of focused efforts" to limit those stockpiles to stem violence in the region. But he added that "there's a lot of funding available with these transnational criminal organizations."

Admiral James Winnefeld, head of the US Northern Command, said the Mexican cartels "are getting more and more sophisticated" but do not pose "an existential threat to the government."

Winnefeld said the Mexican government, which has been waging a bloody war against the drug cartels, has an opportunity to "turn the corner" in the fight with proper support but that the outcome "still remains to be seen."

Some 35,000 people have died in suspected drug-related violence since the launch of a Mexican government offensive on organized crime in 2006, according to official figures.



Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
The Military Industrial Complex at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


MILPLEX
US freezes arms shipments to Lebanon: report
Washington (AFP) April 4, 2011
The United States has quietly frozen weapons shipments to Lebanon's armed forces following the collapse of the country's pro-Western government, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. The newspaper said the suspension was part of a broader review of US security assistance to Lebanon after the radical group Hezbollah emerged as a key player in the government. Washington is above all con ... read more







MILPLEX
Arianespace Flight VA201: Interruption Of The Countdown

Final Countdown Is Underway For Second Ariane 5 Flight Of 2011

Next Ariane 5 Mission Ready For March 30 Liftoff

Another Ariane 5 Completes Its Initial Build-Up At The Spaceport

MILPLEX
Study Of 'Ruiz Garcia' Rock Completed

Next Mars Rover Gets A Test Taste Of Mars Conditions

Alternatives Have Begun In Bid To Hear From Spirit

Opportunity Completes Study Of Ruiz Garcia Rock

MILPLEX
84 Teams To Compete In NASA Great Moonbuggy Race

A New View Of Moon

Super Full Moon

LRO Delivers Treasure Trove Of Data

MILPLEX
Later, Uranus: New Horizons Passes Another Planetary Milestone

Can WISE Find The Hypothetical Tyche In Distant Oort Cloud

Theory: Solar system has another planet

Launch Plus Five Years: A Ways Traveled, A Ways To Go

MILPLEX
White Dwarfs Could Be Fertile Ground For Other Earths

NASA Announces 2011 Carl Sagan Fellows

Report Identifies Priorities For Planetary Science 2013-2022

Planetary Society Statement On Planetary Science Decadal Survey For 2013-2022

MILPLEX
NASA Test Stand Passes Review For Next-Generation Rocket Engine Testing

TEXUS 49 Lifts Off With Four German Experiments On Board

A Reusable Manned Deep - Space Craft

NASA's Successful 'Can Crush' Will Aid Heavy-Lift Rocket Design

MILPLEX
What Future for Chang'e-2

China setting up new rocket production base

China's Tiangong-1 To Be Launched By Modified Long March II-F Rocket

China Expects To Launch Fifth Lunar Probe Chang'e-5 In 2017

MILPLEX
Forensic Sleuthing Ties Ring Ripples To Impacts

When Is An Asteroid Not An Asteroid

Stardust Fires Up Main Engine For Final Burn

Dawn Opens Its Eyes, Checks Its Instruments


The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement