Arizona Citizen Militia responds to Zetas commanders’ death threats
 
 
 
Michael Webster: Syndicated Investigative Reporter.
July 20, 2010 at 5:00 PM PDT. Revised with photo 28 July

 
Many reports are coming in that U.S. Military units are being seen on and near the U.S. Mexican border close to Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge and the Tohono D' O'dham Indian Reservation, and all along the southern side of I-8 between Casa Grande and Gila Bend. Other reports are contradicting these reports.
 

Arizona Citizen Militia (ACM) spokesman only
known as HammerDown said, “We are going to
hunt the Zetas and destroy them like the vermin that
they are. This won't be just War, this will be
Extermination.”

Arizona Citizens Militia operating in the field near the U.S. Mexican border: July 2010

Recently published in the U.S. Border Fire report was a threat by a Mexican national who claimed to be an Los Zetas Mexican Drug cartel officer, who told this reporter the following “I now believe my men were shot by crazed American vigilante cowards, who ambushed my solders at night, shot them from a great distance using high powered American rifles. Than our load of drugs were stolen”. The Zetas say that attacks like this one is occurring frequently along the U.S. Mexican Border he said a Zetas patrol was ambushed by a large contingent of American vigilantes killing two of his solders and wounding three others.
 

The following communication from the Pima County
Arizona Citizens Militia group took place around the
same time frame and may bear out the Zetas
commander’s claims:
 

0545 hours MST - 13 Jul 2010 - approx. 7 miles west of Ruby, AZ - six enemy, in uniform, carrying AK and SKS rifles - enemy were engaged by ACM forces as they tried to cross the international fence - two enemy KIA confirmed, unknown number of enemy WIA, no friendly casualties…
 

The Zetas officer said, “This is a warning to those type groups that his men have been instructed to shoot and kill any Americans who are seen armed and roaming the deserts”. He went on to say that the murder of his men has not been properly investigated by the sheriff of Pinal County.
 
According to the ACM Commander his message
to the Commander of the Mexican drug cartel
Los Zetas is as follows: 
 
"God may show them Mercy.  We will not.
These Zetas are not Soldiers, not Partisans, and not Militia. Under the Law of Land Warfare and the Geneva and Hague Conventions, they are Brigands,Terrorists, and Marauders, no different from
Pirates.  They are going to be dealt with as such.  When our forces engage these war criminals, we will show them no Mercy, we will neither ask for nor
offer them any Quarter, and we will take no Prisoners.  We are going to hunt the Zetas and destroy them like the vermin that they are. This won't be just War, this will be Extermination.  Tell the
Zetas' Commander that, like Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, all he has done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.  We are coming for them, and Hell will be following right
behind us."
 
Just today reports have started coming in that what appear to be U.S. Military units are being seen on and near the U.S. Mexican border
close to Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge and the Tohono D' O'dham Indian Reservation and all along the southern side of I-8 between Casa Grande and Gila Bend.  And there are reports that they are
equipped with Stryker armored fighting vehicles. Other reports are contradicting those reports.
 
 

This Stryker vehicle formerly known as the Interim Armored Vehicle, the Stryker Light Armored
Vehicle III [LAV III] is at the center of the Army's Interim Brigade Combat Teams. The IBCTs are lighter and more mobile, yet offer firepower no enemy can hope to match including the Mexican Army
regulars and the paramilitary of the Mexican drug cartels.
 
The Stryker vehicle and U.S. troops that many believe are being deployed to the southern border to support an action involving the U.S. Army, Homeland Security, U.S. Border Patrol and other federal agencies. According to one federal employee who is not authorized to talk about it was over heard saying that he believes this action is designed at curtailing the Mexican drug cartels drug smuggling capabilities in the area. He says that he and others believe this is what last weeks warning to federal employees was
all about when they were warned to stay away from the U.S. Mexican Border by the Border Patrol.
 
Here is a copy of that statement the federal employee refers to:
...I am a federal employee…who often does field work near the border.  Last week we were told to not travel to field sites within 5 miles of the border between Buenos Aires Nat Wildlife Refuge and Douglas, i.e basically the entire SE Arizona border.
This decision was apparently based on communications with the Border Patrol and is supposed to be a temporary situation.
I have no other information and don’t know if any other agencies are issuing similar warnings. But, this leads me to believe that some US operation is planned or the Border Patrol is anticipating something from across the border....
 
American Militia organizations and other groups of this nature are popping up all over America and in large numbers in states on the southern border with Mexico, according to a federal law enforcement agent. Arizona is leading the pack in shear numbers
of new groups and some of the largest numbers of man power.
 

One such group is the Arizona Citizens Militia believed to be the largest in Arizona according to one Arizona news TV station.
One law enforcement agency has found 50 new militia training groups, some of them made up of former police officers and U.S. soldiers.
 
During my recent e-mail and phone interview with HammerDown who claims to be an Arizona Citizens Militia Unit Coordinator told me about the ACM in general terms and said that the following information was cleared by ACM HQ: We here at the U.S. Border Fire Report felt that this information would be interesting to our readers and pertinent to the violence on and not so near the U.S. Border with Mexico.
 
The ACM State Headquarters is composed of the State Commander, his Executive Officer (XO, Second in Command), and the Commander's
Staff.  Below that are our separate and independent County Units, each with its own Command Structure.  Size and composition of the
County Units will vary, as will their Mission.
 
ACM County Units will assemble occasionally for joint Field Training Exercises (FTX's) or for joint Tactical missions along our southern border.  Only during those assemblies will ACM Headquarters exercise direct Command and Control over our County Units. 
 
The rest of the time, our County Units operate almost completely independently. ACM HQ establishes standards for training, online training references, and commonality of uniforms and communications
equipment.  Our HQ manages our website at
http://www.arizonamilitia.com  and deals with the news media. 
 
ACM members must agree not to divulge their identities and affiliation with the ACM publicly, and are not authorized to identify themselves as members of the ACM to the news media.
 
County Unit leaders are known by name only to their unit members. 
Members and Leaders from one unit rarely know the names of other Unit Leaders or members.  We know each other by our radio callsigns only.  Not even our Commander knows the names of our County Unit
members, nor even the County Unit Leaders.
 
The ACM is structured this way so that if one unit is compromised or infiltrated, no other units will be at risk.
 
Some of our county units train and prepare to resist any attempt to impose tyranny or Martial Law on our people, by any entity. Some Units focus on the border security mission.  Some do both.
 
 
The ACM County Units, supported by Militia groups from outside of Arizona, will conduct Operation Defiant Sentinel this Fall.  Our Mission will be to Search and Destroy the Zetas and other armed,
uniformed foreign military forces, and drive them out of Arizona.
 
"Hammerdown"
 
"Qui Desiderat Pacem Preparaet Bellum"
Let Him Who Desires Peace Prepare for War
 
A federal law enforcement agent who wants to remain anonymous has told the U.S Border Fire Report that if and when militia groups
do commit crimes on any federal lands it will be investigated by the FBI.
When asked if his agency was investigating any of the alleged killings by American militias of Mexican nationals on federal lands he replied, yes.
 
When this same agent was asked if his agency was investigating an alleged cover-up by Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, as claimed by an alleged Zetas officer. The allegation was in regard to the two now
believed Mexican drug smugglers found dead in the desert recently and the two Zetas solders that allegedly were killed by American militia and the three Zetas that were allegedly wounded near Ruby
Arizona. He said, “No comment.”
 
Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu has made headlines for his tough stance against the powerful Mexican drug cartels who smuggle drugs and humans through his county every day.
 
Recently on KPHO 5 News, he took a stand against a different group.
 
 "Not only do we not encourage, we did not invite, and we do not want this group or other groups to come into our county," Babeu said,
referring to militias and other known groups like the one led by J.T. Ready, allegedly a reputed neo- Nazi. According to Ready he has been leading armed vigilantes into areas of the Pinal County desert
where drug activity is frequent.
 
"This is an extreme group that does not represent me, does not represent Arizona, and does not represent the private citizens who do want ligament action to be taken," Babeu said.
 
Ready's group may have gotten the attention of the Los Zetas drug cartel in Mexico.
 
"They attribute a vigilante group, much like this, to having killed the members of their cartel and we're a part of it which is false and is something would never happen," Babeu said.
 
Babeu still believes a rival cartel was behind the deadly showdown in his desert, and said the threat will not intimidate his department.
 
Babeu admits, with groups like Ready's patrolling the desert, the likelihood of a war erupting between citizens and heavily armed drug cartels may be eminent.
 
"We cannot have groups go out there, believing they have the authority of law enforcement and taking actions into their own lands," Babeu said.
 
He said his department will prosecute anyone who takes the law into their own hands.
 
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Attention Concerned Citizens

Michael Webster’s Syndicated Investigative Reports have been read worldwide, in 100 or more U.S. outlets and in at least 136 countries and territories. He publishes articles in association with global news agencies and media information services with more than 350 news affiliates in 136 countries. Many of Mr. Webster’s articles are printed in six working languages: English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish. With ten more languages planed in the near future.