| Mexican helicopter crash kills 11 |
A Mexican army helicopter crashed during anti-narcotics operations in western Mexico on Friday, killing 11 soldiers, authorities said.
The helicopter went down at around midday in a rural area in Michoacan state, a major front in the government's army-led war against drug cartels, Michoacan's state attorney general's office said, without giving the cause of the crash.
"There are 11 men dead, including a colonel, and one soldier was injured. We do not yet know the cause," a spokesman said.
President Felipe Calderon has sent thousands of troops to Michoacan and other hot spots further north along the U.S.-Mexico border to combat violent drug cartels who are fighting over smuggling routes.
Some 900 people have been killed in drug violence this year, and 2,500 were murdered in 2007, including soldiers.
Drug gangs have become increasingly brazen, engaging in open air gunbattles with troops and federal police. The powerful Gulf Cartel this week openly advertised for army troops to desert the army and join its squad of Zeta hit men.
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