The administration of Tamaulipas, a northeastern state shaken by organized crime-related violence, said that Mexican forces on patrol shot and killed 12 militants in a fight close to the U.S. border. According to government sources who spoke to AFP, the attackers who were killed were allegedly part of a narcotics cartel.
What Happened?
The firefight happened as soldiers were policing the Miguel Aleman municipality near the US border, according to a social media post from Tamaulipas’ police spokesperson.
Around 2:00 PM local time, it stated, employees of the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) “were attacked by armed civilians who were hiding in the bush.”
The conflict claimed the lives of twelve attackers, while the military took possession of “12 long weapons, cartridges, and magazines of various calibers,” according to the statement.
The military also utilized drones and a helicopter during the event, which claimed the lives of the 12 attackers, who were allegedly part of a drug cartel, state government sources revealed to AFP.
Gulf Drug Gang
In March of last year, a minivan carrying four American citizens—two of whom would die later—crossed the border into Tamaulipas state and was taken hostage at gunpoint. Latavia McGee and Eric Williams escaped the attack, while Americans Zindell Brown and Shaeed Woodard perished. Areli Pablo Servando, 33, a Mexican woman, was also slain, perhaps by a stray bullet.
Photo: ABC News
Shortly after the kidnapping, the Gulf drug gang gave over five men to the authorities. A letter purporting to be from the Gulf cartel’s Scorpions chapter denounced the violence and claimed the group had given over its own members to the police for accountability.
Over 420,000 deaths and 110,000 disappearances have occurred in Mexico since the start of a contentious military anti-drug campaign in 2006, with criminal organizations being mostly responsible.
