01:29Mexico: Self-defence movement brandishes AK-47s for vigilante training *EXCLUSIVE*
Mexico: Self-defence movement brandishes AK-47s for vigilante training *EXCLUSIVE*
Armed members of an 'auto defensa' militia cell trained with live weapons, learning to move in formation and avoid incoming fire, during a fighting tactics masterclass in Mexico's Michoacan state on Tuesday. Armed with 9mm automatic pistols, MP5 and AK-47 assault rifles, the fighters prepared for conflict with state authorities and organised crime organisations.
The training took place at an open location close to the defensive position the militia has set up around the Sierra Madre mountain range. There has been a rise in 'auto-defensa' armed groups taking over security roles in Mexican communities since early 2013, with reports saying the groups have assumed policing control of some 68 municipalities in 13 states across Mexico.
Escalating conflict between the Knights Templar gang and the local groups in October 2013 triggered a shootout in Michoacan state, leaving more than 420,000 people without electricity, following an attack on power stations.
01:29NONE
Mexico: Self-defence movement brandishes AK-47s for vigilante training *EXCLUSIVE*
Armed members of an 'auto defensa' militia cell trained with live weapons, learning to move in formation and avoid incoming fire, during a fighting tactics masterclass in Mexico's Michoacan state on Tuesday. Armed with 9mm automatic pistols, MP5 and AK-47 assault rifles, the fighters prepared for conflict with state authorities and organised crime organisations.
The training took place at an open location close to the defensive position the militia has set up around the Sierra Madre mountain range. There has been a rise in 'auto-defensa' armed groups taking over security roles in Mexican communities since early 2013, with reports saying the groups have assumed policing control of some 68 municipalities in 13 states across Mexico.
Escalating conflict between the Knights Templar gang and the local groups in October 2013 triggered a shootout in Michoacan state, leaving more than 420,000 people without electricity, following an attack on power stations.