Drug cartel violence drives Mexico's troops to once tranquil towns

Christian Science Monitor: The Mexican government has dispatched 15,000 troops, and some are headed to places that used to be considered a refuge from the drug-related violence wracking much of the country.

By Lauren Villagran. MEXICO CITY - It’s hard to imagine military convoys rolling over the cobblestone colonial streets of Guanajuato, a tranquil town in the Bajío region best known as a destination for university studies and tourism.

But this week, reacting to a spate of violence that has apparently spilled over from neighboring Michoacán state, Mexico’s federal government dispatched troops and federal police to Guanajuato – part of a dispatch of some 15,000 federal forces to seven states. That includes troops to Mexico's long volatile north, apparently due to infighting in the brutal Zetas organization. Read more.