A fierce battle between Mexican military forces and cartel men in the coastal state of Guerrero led to the death of one soldier and 14 gunmen. The skirmish follows shortly after a squad of gunmen ambushed and killed 13 police officers in a neighboring state.
The shootout took place on Tuesday in Tepochica, Guerrero, when Mexican authorities were responding to a call about a group of gunmen in the area, Guerrero State Spokesman Roberto Alvarez Heredia said in a prepared statement. Authorities did not reveal the criminal organization that the gunmen belonged to, however, Guerrero is ground-zero for a fierce turf war between several cartels and independent groups.
As a squad of soldiers approached the town, the gunmen began shooting. Authorities seized several weapons and three SUVs which were previously reported stolen.
The shootout follows one day after gunmen with Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion ambushed a squad of Michoacan State Police, killing 13. After the attack, the gunmen placed several poster boards signed by CJNG, threatening authorities with future bloodshed.
Despite the escalating cartel violence, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said his cabinet will continue their softer approach by focusing on the root causes of social instability rather than clashing with cartels head-on, Proceso reported.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.