Calderon removes his top drug war official

       Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Monday removed his attorney-general who had spearheaded the government's anti-drug campaign that has so far failed to defeat powerful cartels.
       Mr Calderon told reporters that Eduardo Medina Mora had resigned and would be replaced by a relatively unknown former law enforcement official. He gave no details about the reasons for the move.
       A crackdown by thousands of troops and federal police has been unable to bring warring rival mafias to heel.
       More than 13,000 people have died in drug violence since Mr Calderon took office in late 2006.
       He has staked his presidency on the war against the drug cartels and the US has backed him by promising $1.4 billion in aid such as training and equipment for Mexican security forces.
       But the drug cartels are killing about 20 people a day in Mexico, often after torturing them, and traffickers have infiltrated many state and municipal police forces.
       The outgoing attorney-general admitted "successes and errors like in all human endeavours" but defended Mr Calderon's campaign against drug gangs like the rival Sinaloa and Gulf cartels.
       "The historic decision to limit the power of criminal organisations with all the power of the state was fundamental for our future as a nation," Mr Medina Mora said. He will be replaced by Arturo Chavez, a former official with the attorney-general's office.