Of the 68 people rescued in the northern state of Tamaulipas on Wednesday, 12 are migrants from Central America. According to their accounts, gunmen identifying themselves with the Gulf Cartel seized the group off an autobus. Tamaulipas has been in the news because of the grizzly mass murder of 72 migrants in San Fernando last August and, most recently, the recovery of 145 bodies in recent weeks in mass graves. Those slayings are attributed to the Zetas, a separate drug gang that skulks the insecure roads of Tamaulipas. In 2009 a truce between the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas in Tamaulipas fell through, opening the state–and the persons crossing through it–to the gangs’ wrath.
Consolation is scare in Mexico these days; at least in this instance the government was able to quickly act on a tip, arrest the two hostage takers, and save lives.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
