Swedish PM calls in military to assist with gang violence

Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called together the armed forces and police to tackle rising gang violence on Monday, blaming it on "failed integration."

Authorities pointed to 11 deaths over the past month connected to gang violence as a reason to take such measures. On Thursday, two men were shot in separate crimes near Stockholm while a 25-year-old woman was killed near Uppsala.

"We're going to hunt down the gangs and we're going to defeat them," Kristersson said during a nationally televised address Thursday evening. "It is a difficult time for Sweden."

"I cannot stress enough how serious the situation is," he said. "Sweden has never seen anything like this before. No other country in Europe sees anything like it."

He blamed the increase on "irresponsible immigration policy" and "failed integration," along with "political naivety," for the rise of gang violence, but said Sweden will now take a different approach to tackle the issue.

Sweden's armed forces chief Micael Byden said he is ready to help local police, but it is not clear how they would participate.

Kristersson's opponents have said that bringing in the military ignores tackling the root cause of the violence. Reports said the uptick in violence stems from the gang network Foxtrot breaking into two rival gangs after infighting.

Police said the violence also has its roots into the poor integration of immigrants, a widening gap between rich and poor, and drug use.