The war next door: Horrific brutality of Mexican drug cartels 'makes al Qaeda look tame'

Well over a year ago we were saying this. No big deal, It was pretty apparent to most everyone back then.



Mailonline
Mass graves: This is not Iraq or Afghanistan, but Ciudad Juarez


For most Americans it is hard to understand the level of brutality consuming many regions in Mexico now.

The level of violence between warring drug-trafficking cartels has been compared to terrorism, with one former DEA officer saying: 'I think they make al Qaeda look tame in terms of what they do.'

Vicious cartels fight with each other over turf and the authorities over smuggling routes to the U.S. and distribution rights in Mexican neighbourhoods.

The bulk of this murderous conflict occurs just south of the 2,000-mile-long U.S. border, so close-by that bullets from gunfire in Mexico have struck buildings on the American side of the fence.

In the nearly four years since Mexican President Felipe Calderon, firmly supported by the U.S. government, launched an unprecedented attack on Mexico's drug kingpins, nearly 30,000 people have been killed.