The death toll from drug-related violence in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez has risen to 3,000 this year, authorities reported.
The northern Mexican city, which is the most severely hit by the country’s drug war,reached the grim milestone this week after two people were killed on a street.
Cruel turf wars between the Juarez and Sinaloa drug cartels caused 1,623 deaths in 2008, making the city’s murder rate one of the highest worldwide. The number increased to 2,763 deaths last year, while in 2007 approximately 300 people were killed.
The city of 1.3 million has counted a total of 7,386 deaths in three years, with gang members being the majority of victims; drug addicts, civilians, and policemen have also been among the victims of drug violence.
More than 28,000 murders have been confirmed across the country since President Felipe Calderon launched an offensive against the drug cartels in 2006.
