Thousands of residents deserted the small Mexican town of Tila, fleeing an intensive three-day siege by heavily armed men and leaving it a ghost town, and are still too afraid to return despite government troops now patrolling the empty streets.
On the night of June 4 dozens of heavily armed men arrived in Tila in trucks and began shooting at houses, businesses and setting buildings on fire, witnesses said.
A man who did not identify himself for safety reasons said armed men returned the next day with high-calibre weapons and military outfits.
The violence in Tila lasted three days until June 7, when the army arrived. State authorities have since said some 5,000 troops have been deployed to the area and six suspects detained.
All of Tila's inhabitants, some 4,000 people, fled their homes, some taking government busses to nearby shelters, where many remain today, sleeping on mats on the ground.
A dozen residents who fled the area told Reuters that the attackers, many who covered their faces and some of whom appeared to be underage, looted stores, set cars on fire and tried to break into houses.
Footage from after the attack shows a still-deserted town, streets littered with charred vehicles, shattered windows and bullet holes.
Many Mexican communities have become ghost towns as people seek safety from gang violence by applying for asylum in the United States.
While the government maintains the violence in Tila resulted from a local land dispute, its residents say organized crime groups had long been extorting them and would punish those who did not pay up.
Residents reported growing violence over recent years, as well as an increase in drug trafficking and extortion.
Once relatively untouched by gang violence, Chiapas is now the site of a turf war between the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and Sinaloa Cartel and people are increasingly fleeing the violence and extortion.
Reuters was able to locate the footage filmed in Tila, Chiapas from the signage, building characteristics, terrain and road layouts that matched to file and satellite images. Reuters was able to confirm the date of the footage from the source.
#mexico #gangwar #worldnews
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