How many soldiers died in the Merida Initiative in Mexico?”
1 dead, 2 hurt in Mexico military helicopter crash (AP) – 19 hours ago MEXICO CITY — A Mexican military helicopter has crashed in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero, killing an air force sergeant and seriously injuring two soldiers. The Defense Department blames a mechanical problem for Wednesday’s accident. The Bell 212 helicopter was transporting an army officer and nine soldiers when it went down in a rural area in mountains known to be frequented by drug and criminal gangs. U.S. officials recently delivered five Bell helicopters of a different model to Mexico as part of the “Merida Initiative” for aiding the Mexican campaign to curb drug traficking.
At least 450 police officers and soldiers have been killed since January 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9rida_Initiative The Mérida Initiative (also called Plan Mexico by critics) is a security cooperation between the United States and the government of Mexico and the countries of Central America, with the aim of combating the threats of drug trafficking, transnational crime and money laundering. The assistance includes training, equipment and intelligence. In seeking partnership from the United States, Mexican officials point out that the illicit drug trade is a shared problem in need of a shared solution, and remark that most of the financing for the Mexican traffickers comes from American drug consumers. U.S. law enforcement officials estimate that US$12 to 15 billion per year flows from the United States to the Mexican traffickers, and that is just in cash, and doesn’t include all the money s
