US to back Mexican war on drugs

The violence in Mexico rivals that of Afghanistan and the violence has already started to spill over north of the Rio Grande. NAtional Post

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. military is ready to help Mexico in its deadly war against drug cartels with some of the same counter-insurgency tactics used against militant networks in Iraq and Afghanistan, the top U.S. military officer said on Friday.

Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, also said the Defense Department was moving quickly to provide the Mexican military with equipment, including helicopters, under a US$1.4-billion aid initiative.

"They have an urgent need. We all have a sense of urgency about this. And so we're all going to push pretty hard to deliver that capability as rapidly as possible," Adm. Mullen told reporters in a conference call as he returned from his first official visit to Mexico as Joint Chiefs chairman.