U.S. ambassador alarmed by Mexico border violence

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to Mexico warned on Friday of an "alarming" surge in violence in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez and said he could heighten a travel alert for U.S. citizens traveling there.

Tony Garza said he was preparing an updated travel advisory after visiting Ciudad Juarez this week to talk to local officials about a jump in murders in the city to nearly 200 this year, as well as kidnappings and robberies. The city borders El Paso, Texas.

"Despite valiant attempts by Mexican law enforcement in the area, crime and violence is rapidly increasing," Garza said in a statement. "The statistics are alarming."

"While there is little doubt in my mind that the travel alert should be reissued, it may also be necessary to heighten the alert to better reflect the increasing insecurity in the state of Chihuahua," he said.

Killings in Ciudad Juarez, a city in Chihuahua state that gained notoriety in recent years for a spate of brutal murders of women, are 10 times as high this year as the same time a year ago.

The murders have pushed the national death count from drug cartel killings above 800 for the first three months of 2008.

President Felipe Calderon's government, which began an army-led crackdown on drug gangs about 15 months ago, has sent 2,500 extra troops to Ciudad Juarez in recent days to deal with the increase in bloodshed.

Mexican border cities are popular with U.S. tourists who flow through crossing points to enjoy cheap tequila, cut-price medicine and nightclubs, but locals say the rise in brutal daylight killings is scaring off visitors.

(Reporting by Catherine Bremer; Editing by Peter Cooney)