Mexican Drug Cartels Turn to IEDs to Use Against Army as Drug War Rages On
BY LORA KORPAR ON 2/4/22 AT 5:31 PM EST
Drug cartels in western Mexico have started using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the ongoing war with the government.
Though Mexican cartels have used explosives, drones and homemade armored cars in the past, the Associated Press reported that this is the first time they have used IEDs, or homemade explosives.
According to a report by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, IEDs can take many forms, from a 1-pound explosive stuffed into an envelope to "a sophisticated device capable of causing massive damage and loss of life." Mexican television station Milenio described the IEDs the cartels have used as pipe bombs with a cone-shaped cap that directs the explosion.
AP reported that the city of Tepalcatepec, in western Michoacán state, is currently the center of a self-defense movement against gunmen from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. A spokesman for the movement, who remained anonymous for his safety, told AP that the cartel used an IED in a Saturday attack against the Mexican army.
More:
https://www.newsweek.com/mexican-drug-cartels-turn-ieds-use-against-army-drug-war-rages-1676456?piano_t=1