21 dead in battle between police and drug cartel in a small town in Mexico.

City Hall for Villa Union after the battle. USA Today/AP.

21 people died in a battle between police and the Cartel of the Northwest in the small town of Villa Union, Mexico. USA Today. Of the dead, 17 were cartel members, 4 were police officer and several municipal employees were still missing. The members of the Cartel of the Northwest rolled into town in several vehicles and began to attack city hall. Police and federal authorities responded and drove off the attackers, killing several of them. The violence comes as Mexico's president has come under criticism for the increasing violence in Mexico. Mexico has had almost 30,000 murders this year alone, most of them related to the cartels. 

My Comment:

This was a big story that broke yesterday but I didn't have a chance to write about it now. I think that the Mexican Drug War is the most under-covered news story out there right now even after the most recent battles and massacres have gotten a bit of attention. Sadly, this kind of violence isn't uncommon anymore. 

It's unclear what the Cartel was doing here. My guess is that this was a terrorist attack targeting the government of this small town. Their goal was likely to intimidate local officials and civilians to show that the Cartel of the Northwest is in charge. It's also possible that they were upset by the actions of someone who worked at that city hall. It's unclear if that was the goal or if it worked out. 

It does seem like the local police and federal officials did a better job of fighting the cartels than they have recently. In the battle of Culiacán, the feds were outgunned, out-manned and outmatched. They lost that battle and lost hard and had to give up both of El-Chapo's sons. And there was also a major mass murder of 14 police officers by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The Mexican military and police haven't been doing the best job. 

But in this battle they seem to have more than hold their own. They killed 17 cartel members at a cost of 4 of their own and managed to drive them out of Villa Union. They also captured several pickup trucks and generally did a good job at restoring order. It's possible that this was because this operation was defensive in nature that they did better. 

This incident is going to cause more pressure for Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (Amlo). He was already under pressure from the United States to do something about the cartels after the massacre of Americans living in Mexico, but so far has done nothing. It's becoming very clear that his live and let live attitude with the cartels is not working out at all. 

Instead of pacifying the cartels it's pretty clear they are emboldened. I don't think the cartels would be so openly attacking civilians and institutions like they are now if the Mexican government showed a little backbone. The murder rate is going up and so is the violence. The cartels know that there won't be much in terms of retribution so they are doing whatever they want. 

I think the the rising level of violence will likely cost Amlo his presidency. Though a lot can happen in 4 years, if something isn't done about the violence I can't see him winning a 2nd 6 year term. He could change course and either go after the cartels himself or allow the United States to do so for him. But the status quo means that even more attacks, battles and massacres are going to happen..