Mexico Steps Up World Cup Security

(MENAFN- IANS) Mexico City, March 7 (IANS) Mexico will deploy around 100,000 security personnel to ensure public safety during this year’s FIFA World Cup, President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Saturday.

The announcement follows a surge in violence across the country triggered by last month’s death of cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” in an army operation, reported Xinhua.

The security plan includes 20,000 soldiers and 55,000 police officers, in addition to members of private security companies. They will be supported by 2,500 military and civilian vehicles, 24 aircraft, anti-drone systems and dogs trained to detect explosives and other substances, officials said.

“As you can see, we are very prepared for the World Cup,” Sheinbaum told a news conference in Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state, where more than 12,000 people are reported missing.

“We are here to tell everyone in Jalisco, all the people of Jalisco, that we are together, that we are working for peace, security and the wellbeing of the inhabitants of this beautiful state,” she added.

Mexico will co-host the World Cup alongside the United States and Canada from June 11 to July 19. The Latin American country will stage 13 matches - five in Mexico City, four in Guadalajara and four in Monterrey.

General Roman Villalvazo, the Mexican military officer who will oversee the country’s security operations, described the tournament as an “unprecedented event.”

“The first challenge is to present a reliable, safe and well-organized Mexico to the international community,” he said. “The second is for the Mexican state to have the capacity to confront antagonisms that threaten national security.”

Villalvazo added that Mexican security forces began specialized training in January, with further exercises planned for the coming weeks.

Following El Mencho’s death on February 22, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel that he once led has engaged in shootouts with the Mexican military, blocked roads and torched vehicles.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said last week he had “total confidence” in Mexico’s ability to host the tournament.

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