Mexico: 9 killed in shootout between two drug trafficking groups

At least nine people were killed during a shootout between two groups in southern Mexico on October 24. The two groups reportedly used advanced weapons and confronted each other with high-standard weaponry on a highway in a rural area in the state of Guerrero. Which is also the same area where various drug trafficking groups fight over control of supply routes while operating their criminal activities. Moreover, the investigation revealed that people who died were also close to Zenen Nava Sanchez, who is the leader of the criminal group, Los Rojos. 

Read - 5 Dead As Small Plane Crashes In Mexico, Investigation Underway

Long-running dispute

Reportedly, there is a long-running dispute between Los Rojos and a rival gang which is centered on a town ten kilometers away from the crime scene, which has killed nearly a thousand people in the past. In addition to that, an ongoing investigation into the case has retrieved 50 bullets that are used in weapons like an AK-47 assault rifle. The escalating violence in the local area has created struggles for the leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to decrease the crime since he took in charge of the office last December. In September, a violent incident killed nearly 15 people including one Mexican soldier in the same state after a few gunmen attacked the security forces. 

Read - Woman Playing Pokemon Go Killed After Witnessing Robbery In New Mexico

Bar fire killed 23

The attorney general's office condemned a previous attack as a deliberate attempt of the fire by another crime group in the city which killed 15 males along with eight women in August and severely injured nearly 13 people. According to Mexican media,  gunmen had fired shots on the bar, Caballo Blanco' before setting it on fire with cocktails. These deaths had also followed an attack of April on some other bar in Veracruz in the city of Minatitlan which killed 13 people. President Obrador, not only criticized the incident but also pledged to curb gang violence. However, so far the number of murders in Mexico has continued to increase after reaching record levels last year.

Read - Blood Guacamole: In Mexico, Avocados Bring Income, Cartels

Read - US Coast Guard Suspends Search For Pilot In Gulf Of Mexico

(With PTI inputs)