Calderon says more drug war violence likely ahead

Reuters

Mexican President Felipe Calderon warned on Tuesday that more bloodshed will likely occur as his government continues its campaign to defeat violent drug cartels.

More than 28,000 people in Mexico have died in drug violence since Calderon launched his drug fight when he took office in late 2006, and gruesome attacks are on the rise.

Over the weekend, four decapitated bodies, their genitals and index fingers cut off, were hung upside down from a bridge in a popular getaway outside Mexico City. Another two bodies were dumped near the same bridge on Tuesday, police said.

But Calderon told a local radio station that escalating bloodshed was a sign that the cartels were on the run.

"I don't rule out that there might be more bouts of the violence we're witnessing, and what's more, the victory we are seeking and will gain is unthinkable without more violence," Calderon said. "This is a process of self-destruction for the criminals," he added.

Backed by millions of dollars in U.S. aid, Calderon has sent more than 45,000 troops and thousands of federal police to fight the cartels that are battling over smuggling routes into the United States and Mexico's growing local narcotics market.

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