Mexico’s army stands between gangs, enforcing turf divisions
By MARK STEVENSON
Associated Press
AGUILILLA, Mexico (AP) — In western Mexico a small squad of soldiers with about a half-dozen trucks and sandbag emplacements stands guard on a rural highway. In one direction, almost within earshot, one drug cartel operates a roadblock extorting farmers. In the other direction, another cartel carries out armed patrols in trucks bearing its initials. The army has largely stopped fighting drug cartels here, instead ordering soldiers to guard the dividing lines between gang territories so they won’t invade each other’s turf _ and turn a blind eye to the cartels’ illegal activities just a few hundred yards away.
