ALL OUT WAR: Mexico deploys soldiers & heavy armour to fight Sinaloa Cartel as gangsters rampage after arrest of El Chapo’s son
MEXICO’S government has been forced to deploy the military onto the streets to fight rampaging drug cartel members.
Violent clashes have erupted between the army and gangsters from the fearsome Sinaloa cartel after the capture of infamous gang kingpin El Chapo‘s son Ovidio.
Drug cartel gunmen invaded Culiacan International Airport in the western Mexican province of Sinaloa and opened fire at army planes on Thursday in revenge for the arrest.
Shocking footage appears to show a cartel thug attempting to take down jets using a sniper rifle.
Parts of the city of Culiacan, a stronghold of the Sinaloa cartel, have been seized by gang members who have carjacked residents and torched vehicles.
Dramatic pictures show cars reduced to fireballs as huge plumes of black smoke fill the sky.
The Mexican government frantically unleashed armoured cars and heavily armed teams as it battles to control the violent scenes.
Footage shows a convoy of armoured vehicles ploughing through the streets.
Another clip appears to show heavy fighting overnight in Culiacan, with the sky lit up by helicopter gunfire.
State governor Ruben Rocha said seven members of the security forces had been killed and 21 had been injured as well as eight civilians.
It is understood Infantry Colonel Juan José Moreno Orzua, commander of the 43rd Infantry Battalion, based in Tepic, and his four bodyguards were among those killed, reports El Universal.
Reports also claim armed groups stormed hospitals and health centres, “kidnapping” doctors and nurses and forcing them to treat cartel fighters wounded in fighting with federal authorities.
Distressing footage shared on social media shows the floor of a hospital covered in blood.
Two ambulances have reportedly been stolen with paramedics inside and doctors seized from several hospitals in the Sinaloan town of Navolato.
Widespread looting has also been reported in Culiacan, although it isn’t yet known if this is the work of cartel fighters or ordinary citizens.
Authorities urged people to stay indoors and said schools and administrative offices were closed due to the violence. Street blockades had also been erected.
The city’s airport was also caught up in the violence, with Mexican airline Aeromexico saying one of its planes had been hit by gunfire ahead of a scheduled flight to Mexico City.
David Tellez, a passenger who boarded the plane with his wife and three children, said they had decided to stay in the airport until it is safe to leave.
He said: “The city is worse. There is a lot of shooting and confusion.”
A Mexican air force plane was also shot at, the federal aviation agency said.
They added that the airport in Culiacan, as well as in the Sinaloa cities of Mazatlan and Los Mochis, would remain closed until security could be ensured.
Horror scenes show gunmen opening fire inside a commercial aircraft while it taxis along the runway at Culiacan, as terrified passengers desperately hide behind their seats.
A screaming baby can be heard in the background amid the gunfire.
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Good thing weapons and ammunition illegal in MX. Otherwise the people would be in REAL danger.
There was some brief return fire from the ground during that helicopter minigun run. It did not last long. There was also video of a fixed wing light attack aircraft making a daylight cannon run. It is evident that Sinaloa is repeating the tactics of 2019. It appears that the Mexican military is prepared to use these gunships to break up large bodies of cartel gunmen this time around. If they fail to adjust to this and operate in a more dispersed manner, they could suffer some serious losses. There are lessons here, do not attempt to hold ground or present a worthwhile target to an enemy with superior fire support assets.
Flight data tracking shows minimal air traffic over that area and more or less normal activity over the rest of Mexico. There was a US C-17 flight from Calif to Mexico City last night. I would not know if it a routine flight, a resupply mission, or related to the Biden visit. An Alaska Airlines flight around the same time made a 180 degree turn around Sinaloa and returned to US airspace.