America's Mexican Border Wars

[Magda Hassan]

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/f...-mexico-tk.php



Feb-18-2012 20:50
U.S. and Mexico Military Play Increasing Role in Border Operations

Tim King Salem-News.cmoOur team at [B]Salem-News, and also Narco News, were the first to report on the activities of this joint task force.[/B]
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Early image used for the JTF by Narcosphere

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(SALEM) - Robert Plumlee and I enjoy watching the national media play catch-up with our reports from years ago. The game is on again as information about the U.S./Mexican military Joint Task Force continues to emerge. We've patiently waited since publishing our report about this project, US Special Forces are Operating in Mexico.
A new article by By Diana Washington Valdez in the El Paso Timestitled, 'Fort Bliss troops help in border support role' illustrates the reason that officials from both countries have been hesitant to confirm the existence of this military border group; it is the 1997 shooting death of a young Mexican national by a U.S. Marine. It turned out that the Mexican was in possession of a .22 rifle to guard his goat herd, the U.S. government paid the man's family for his unwarranted death.
This left an obvious black eye and U.S. military forces were pulled from the border in reaction to the shooting death.
Mexico itself was so anxious to dismiss our story two years ago about the joint task force, that their Embassy Spokesman in Washington D.C., Ricardo Alday, wrote a letter to Salem-News.com (below) that blatantly declared we were liars. We were not. In fact, Mr. Plumlee was initially approached by members of this task because they believed someone in the U.S. federal government was undermining their efforts, placing calls to cartels and thwarting operations. They asked for exposure, we provided it.
The Joint Task Force is a US covert 'undercover' military unit, working a joint venture with the Mexican Navy's Marines also known as, 'Marinos'.
before we were privileged to obtain the facts behind the story
When our team at Salem-News, and also Narco News, was privileged to obtain the facts behind the story, it was in the summer of 2010. In September, we reported and published our findings. At this point, the military team had been working our southern borders for more than a year. The article came with mixed reviews and lack luster interest, if any, by Mainstream Media (MSM). If only they paid attention to Mr. Plumlee's groundbreaking work, they would be farther ahead.
This excerpt from Fort Bliss troops help in border support role by Diana Washington Valdez with the El Paso Times, clearly references the JTF:
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[TD]Active-duty soldiers were deployed this week from Fort Bliss to assist the Border Patrol in Arizona and New Mexico, officials said Thursday.
Customs and Border Protection officials said the soldiers will function in a support role only.
Although the Joint Task Force-North/Northern Command generally handles such deployments, JTF-North spokesman Armando Carrasco said the Border Patrol alone was authorized to release details on what unit is involved and what the soldiers will do on the border.
Border Patrol officials in the Tucson sector were unavailable for comment late Thursday. (read complete article at above link)[/TD]
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