Mexican Drug War Out of Control?

Mexico has deployed tens of thousands of troops to restore order in border towns ravaged by drug cartels, but the gangs are proving more and more audacious in their response. This week, gunmen equipped with grenade launchers executed a series of carefully planned attacks on army forces including operations designed to trap them in military bases and limit their movement on roads and highways. The attacks, while indicating a new willingness among traffickers to go after military targets, led to heavy casualties—at least 18 alleged attackers were killed while one soldier was wounded in fighting on Tuesday in several cities and towns. "This really speaks to the incredible organization and firepower that the drug-trafficking organizations have managed to muster," Tony Payan, a border expert at the University of Texas at El Paso told the Los Angeles Times.