AAM: "I couldn't shake the
feeling that I was in the middle of an
insurgency."
Monday, March 09, 2009
Length: 2:52
LARGE (39.8 MB)
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SMALL (3.5 MB)
Following a report about concerns that terrorist
groups such as Hezbollah might make opportune use
of the drug cartel wars in Mexico to set up a base
south of our border, Michael talks to John Roberts
and Kiran Chetry about the likelihood of such a
scenario as well as a general rundown of the
situation.
BARBARA
STARR: ...stating that "any descent by Mexico into
chaos would demand an American response based on the
serious implications for homeland security alone."
The nightmare concern? International terrorist
organizations joining forces with the Mexican drug
cartels. A U.S. counter-terrorism official tells CNN
one concern, a group like Hezbollah could turn its
attention to Mexico and expand its operations south
of the U.S. border. Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KIRAN CHETRY: So certainly a nightmare scenario
there. Michael Ware has experience covering both the
war on terror and the war here on our border, and he
joins us this morning. So how realistic is it that an
international terrorist organization, say something
like Hezbollah, could actually join forces with the
Mexican drug cartels?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that's
a bit of a stretch at this stage. That's certainly
what the Pentagon is saying, however all the pieces
of the puzzle are in place and certainly the cartels
are motivated by the profits that they gain from
running the drugs. If they saw it was in their
financial interest to hook up with one of these
group, then perhaps they might.
JOHN ROBERTS: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Admiral Mike Mullen was recently down in Mexico and
other Latin American countries looking into the drug
war. He suggested that maybe to use anti-terrorism
tactics to fight these narco gangs. Is that an idea
that you think would work?
WARE: Well, put it this way. When I was in Juarez,
the border town just across from El Paso, about 10
days ago, this is the center of the drug war. Now,
whilst there are many, many differences, I couldn't
shake the feeling that I was in the middle of an
insurgency. And indeed we see the "Foreign Policy"
magazine come out this week and say that this is
actually a raging insurgency and the war in Mexico is
actually being fought just like an insurgency for the
hearts and minds of the people.
You want to win this fight? You make people feel
safe, so that they can tell you about the cartels. So
that they can walk on the streets. But you know what?
I hope Admiral Mullen told President Obama that right
now as it's being fought, this war cannot be won.
CHETRY: And really illustrating this challenge, you
guys were doing some reporting last week just about
the police, you can't even trust whether or not...
WARE: Oh, no.
CHETRY: And those that are straight and on the
straight and narrow are getting shot and killed.
WARE: They're lonely men and women. And indeed we saw
just last weekend, again in Juarez, two police
officers, a husband and a wife were cut down by the
cartels, and she was pregnant.
ROBERTS: Wow.
WARE: And the week that I was there, eight police
died as part of a campaign to force the police chief
to stand down. The cartel said, you step down or
we're just going to keep killing your officers, and
they were true to their word.
ROBERTS: Unbelievable. I know you're going to be
probably spending a lot of time there in the future,
so we look forward to your reporting.
WARE: Yes, it looks that way.
ROBERTS: All right. Mike, thanks for coming in this
morning. Appreciate it.
WARE: Thanks, guys.