Mexico, February 11: Nine people have been killed in a shootout involving suspected drug cartel members and security forces in the northern Mexican state of Zacatecas.
Eight gunmen and one soldier were killed during a shootout Wednesday night in the town of Tabasco, Mexico’s Defense Department reported.
Two other soldiers have been wounded.
Tabasco is 190 kilometers (118 miles) north of Guadalajara.
The soldiers found six assault rifles, three radios and two bulletproof jackets, the Associated Press stated.
The gunfight reportedly erupted when the soldiers came under attack by armed men while investigating a tip off.
Although no details were given about the gunmen, media reports have linked the violence to cartels that smuggle drugs into the US.
On Monday, the bodies of five men were found slain on the side of the road in Zacatecas.
The deaths raised the number of people killed in drug-related violence to 41 since last weekend, AFP stated.
Violence has erupted in Mexico since 2006 when President Felipe Calderon ordered a military crackdown on the cartels, deploying about 50,000 troops across the country.
An estimated 34,200 people have been killed since President Calderon’s war on drugs began.
The government claims that its offensive has resulted in the capture of 19 of the 37 most-wanted criminals in Mexico.
Nearly half of the drug-related killings have taken place in the three northern states of Chihuahua, Sinaloa and Tamaulipas.
——–Agencies