Fierce gun battle rocks El Chapo's bastion in Mexico

[Valin]

France24

Oct. 17 2019

Heavily armed gunmen in four-by-four trucks fought an intense battle against Mexican security forces Thursday in the city of Culiacan, capital of jailed kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's home state of Sinaloa.

Sustained, heavy gunfire ground the western city of 750,000 people to a halt, in a battle that left blazing vehicles strewn across the street and sent terrified residents running for shelter, said AFP journalists at the scene.

Images carried on Mexican television showed army and police forces under assault by civilians armed with heavy machine guns.

 

Mexican TV networks said the shootout was triggered by the arrest of one of Guzman's sons, who have assumed control of part of the cartel since their father was extradited in 2017.

Other media reports said one of Guzman's sons had been killed.

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[Valin]

 

[Valin]

Mexicans Outraged After Cornered Son of ‘El Chapo’ Released

Eric Martin and Lorena Rios, Bloomberg

October 18, 2019

Bloomberg) -- The decision by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s security cabinet to release the captured son of the world’s most notorious drug lord left him struggling to contain the damage amid public outrage.

AMLO, as the president is known, said the government took the decision after Mexican forces were overpowered Thursday as they attempted to take in Ovidio Guzman Lopez, son of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. The son is said to have taken over some criminal operations from his father. The confrontation, which left eight dead, occurred in Culiacan, the capital of the western state of Sinaloa.

His public security minister, Alfonso Durazo, admitted that the operation to capture Guzman Lopez was a failure. Reporters peppered him with questions at a news conference in Culiacan, asking if he would resign. Durazo deflected, suggesting that he could do so if the moment arrives when he decides he no longer can contribute to securing peace in the nation.

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