US not responsible for surge of violence in Sinaloa, American ambassador tells Mexico
U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar has rejected accusations by Mexico’s president that the U.S. shares some responsibility for cartel violence in Sinaloa state
MEXICO CITY (AP) — U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar rejected accusations by Mexico's president that the U.S. was partly responsible for a surge in cartel warfare in northern Sinaloa over the weekend.
Sinaloa has been eclipsed by violence as two warring factions of the Sinaloa cartel have clashed in the state capital of Culiacan in what appears to be a fight for power since two of its leaders were arrested in the U.S. in late July.
“It is incomprehensible how the United States can be responsible for the massacres we see in different places,” Salazar said in a news conference in Chihuahua on Saturday. “What is being seen in Sinaloa is not the fault of the United States."
The arrests startled many because it appeared that the son of notorious drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán abducted an elder cartel figure, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, and flew them both to the U.S. to be detained. Such a violent outburst was expected in the wake of the arrests.
