Updated December 1st, 2019 at 19:06 IST
Mexico: 10 cartel gunmen, 4 police officers killed in a bloody gunbattle
At least 14 people died after Mexican security forces engaged in an hour-long gun battle with suspected cartel gunmen in the town of Villa Union.
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At least 14 people died after Mexican security forces engaged in an hour-long gun battle with suspected cartel gunmen in a Mexican town near the US border. Ten suspected drug cartel and four policemen were killed during the attack. The incident took place days after US President Donald Trump said in a statement that he will designate Mexican drug cartel groups as terrorist organisations giving rise to the tension between the two nations.
10 gunmen and 4 police officers killed during the clash
According to the government of the northern state of Coahuila, the clash etween the police and the cartel gunmen occurred in the small town of Villa Union, about 65 kilometres (40 miles) southwest of the border city of Piedras Negras.
Miguel Angel Riquelme, Governor of Coahuila informed the international media that the state police performed its duty and acted ‘decisively’ against the drug cartel gunmen. During the clash between both sides, four police officers lost their lives and six were reported injured. Riquelme further added that the fight went on for approximately 10 hours wherein 10 gunmen were killed and three suffered injuries.
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The rounds of firing began in the afternoon in the Villa Union. Videos of the clash that were posted on social media show the cartel gunmen traveling around the town in pickup trucks. Some people also posted videos of fumes rising from the point of the clash following the shootout. According to the reports, the Governor said that several people were reported missing from the town including the officials from the mayor’s office. Riquelme informed that 14 vehicles used by the cartel gunmen during the attack and more than a dozen guns have been seized by the state police. He further added that the gunmen were believed to be the members of the Cartel of the Northeast, which is from Tamaulipas state to the east.
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President of Mexico Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in a statement that Mexico will not permit US armed operations against the terrorist Mexico drug cartel groups in its territory. Obrador made the statement on November 29, in response to US President Donald Trump's statement that he will declare Mexico drug cartels as terrorist groups.
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Published December 1st, 2019 at 18:25 IST
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