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Mexico shootout: Seven die after gunmen ambush soldiers
19/03/2023 17:13 in World News

Authorities said on Saturday that at least five suspected criminals and two soldiers were killed in a gunfight after gunmen ambushed a military unit in southwest Mexico.

The altercation took place Friday afternoon in the village of El Pescado, which is located in a hilly part of Guerrero that is difficult to access and has been the site of disputes between criminal gangs.

 

According to an army report, a military unit "was the target of an attack by roughly 18 armed citizens aboard two cars," which resulted in a shootout.

 

Five shooters and two soldiers were killed, while two people were shot.

 

According to local authorities, the attackers were most likely members of La Familia Michoacana, which was formerly one of Mexico's most formidable drug cartels but lost much of its clout after its leaders were apprehended.

 

The cartel has regrouped and has been involved in a number of violent incidents.

 

Authorities said La Familia Michoacana is fighting the criminal organisation Los Tequileros for control of the area where they engage in drug trafficking, extortion, and kidnapping.

 

Guerrero, one of Mexico's poorest states, has seen years of violence stemming from territorial conflicts between drug cartels vying for control of marijuana and opium cultivation and trafficking.

 

According to official statistics, more than 350,000 people have been killed in Mexico since the government deployed the army to fight drug cartels in 2006.

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