MCALLEN, Texas — Two hitmen from the Mexican state of Guerrero have confessed to having worked with local police in the murder of several students.The new development comes as Mexico continues to deal with the cloud of violence that continues to cast a shadow over the country. On Monday, Mexican authorities announced that they would remove local authorities from the town of Iguala replacing them with federal police officers while the local forces are trained and their weapons checked to see if they have been used in other crimes.
The two confessed killers claimed to have worked with police officers to murder 17 students out of the 43 missing whose bodies were disposed of, information released by Guerrero’s Attorney General’s Office shows.
Over the weekend authorities found 28 bodies in six mass graves which are being tested to see if they are the missing students Guerrero’s Attorney General Inaky Blanco said.
Since last week 43 education students from the rural town of Iguala went missing after a day of protests turned violent when police officers shot at the protesters killing six and wounding 25. Later on a group of hitmen from a gang called Guerreros Unidos working with police opened fire at busses and taxis killing two soccer players and a taxi passenger.
According to the confession of the two hitmen, the police chief ordered the local cops to take the students and then a local crime boss called “el Chuky” ordered them killed, the information released by the Guerrero’s Attorney’s General’s Office shows.
Despite the constant violence in Mexico, President Enrique Pena Nieto tried to show a calm and determined demeanor on Monday when he gave a public statement where he vowed to use the full might of the Mexican State to hold responsible those behind the disappearance of the 43 students.
The disappearance and likely death of the 43 students is the most recent scandal to hit Mexico which already has earned worldwide fame for its constant gun battles between cartel members and the Mexican military. Just two weeks ago, various media outlets accused the Mexican military of executing a group of cartel hitmen in a rural town of Tlataya over the summer. While initially the military had hailed the shooting as a successful operation by the army, the outcry crated by the news story resulted in the Obama administration calling for an investigation which Mexican prosecutors did resulting in a group of soldiers getting arrested under military law in connection with the case.
Follow Ildefonso Ortiz on Twitter @ildefonsoortiz
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