Calderon claims progress in drug war

MEXICO CITY, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Mexican President Felipe Calderon says he has made progress in weeding out corrupt police officers in his ongoing war against violent drug traffickers.

Appearing with Cabinet ministers Friday at a National Security Council meeting in Mexico City, Calderon touted the arrests of Noe Ramirez Mandujano, a former chief of the anti-organized-crime unit at Mexico's attorney general's office, and other anti-drug officials as proof he's serious about rooting out corruption, The Washington Post reported.

He said police officer evaluations are having an effect on eliminating those compromised by the drug gangs, revealing that half of the 56,000 officers evaluated in the review did not meet minimum standards, the newspaper said.

But Caleron also admitted that the wave of violent deaths sparked by his anti-drug crackdown -- an estimated 4,500 since March 2007 -- have created widespread fear among Mexican citizens.

"We know the challenges are many and that the road that we have to travel is long and difficult," the Post quoted Calderon saying. "But we cannot and will not back down."