Military officer to head Mexico’s new security force

MEXICO CITY – Mexico’s president says an active-duty military officer is going to lead the country’s new militarized anti-crime force, known as the National Guard.

The announcement comes as a disappointment for human rights activists, who had wanted a civilian command for the new force.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Friday he will announce the appointment next week.

The country’s National Human Rights Commission had recommended a civilian head the force, which will be made up of mainly of military and federal police.

But López Obrador said, “We need a member of this institution (army), with experience, discipline, rectitude, honesty, professionalism.”

Mexico’s armed forces have been implicated in rights abuses, and critics say they are not trained for civilian law enforcement work.