Bodies exhumed near Mexican city

Mexican police have found at least seven bodies on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, near the US border.

The bodies were partially buried in a desert area south of the city. Police are working to identify the victims.

Ciudad Juarez is Mexico's most violent city. Fighting between drug gangs has led the government to send thousands of troops to patrol its streets.

About 1,600 people were killed in the city last year as criminals fight to control drug routes into the US.

More than 1,000 people across Mexico have been killed already in 2009.

Since December 2006 the Mexican government has deployed a total of about 40,000 troops and police to fight the country's drug cartels.