Mexico City  - Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Monday replaced his attorney general, who had headed the government's war against rampant drug trafficking gangs.

After the resignation of Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora, Calderon named lawyer Arturo Chavez as the new attorney general, pending approval by the Mexican Senate.

More than 4,000 people have been killed so far this year in Mexico in violence linked to drug cartels. (dpa)