Mexican army says drug cartels are increasing their use of roadside bombs
Updated 11:39 AM CDT, August 22, 2023
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican army said Tuesday that drug cartels have increased their use of roadside bombs or improvised explosive devices this year, with 42 soldiers, police and suspects wounded by IEDs so far in 2023, up from 16 in 2022.
The figures provided by Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval appeared to include only those wounded by explosive devices, but officials have already acknowledged that at least one National Guard officer and four state police officers have been killed in two separate explosive attacks this year.
Particularly on the rise were drone-carried bombs, which were unknown in Mexico prior to 2020. So far this year, 260 such incidents have been recorded. However, even that number may be an underestimate: residents in some parts of the western state of Michoacan say that attacks by bomb-dropping drones are a near-daily occurrence.
Six car bombs have been found so far in 2023, up from one in 2022. However, car bombs were also occasionally used years ago in northern Mexico.
Overall, 556 improvised explosive devices of all types — roadside, drone-carried and car bombs — were found in 2023. A total of 2,186 have been found during the current administration, which took office in December 2018.
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https://apnews.com/article/mexico-1581883d951c8f7a79ac5c61ec558b78