{Thirteen killed in border city of Matamoros as gunmen clash with Mexican armed forces in region ravaged by drug gangs}
Thirteen people have been killed in shootouts around the north-east Mexican city of Matamoros in one of the worst recent outbreaks of violence in an area ravaged by drug gangs.
Three gunfights took place around the city, close to Brownsville, Texas, two of which were exchanges between gunmen and Mexico’s armed forces, according to a statement from the state government of Tamaulipas.
Eight men died in the fighting with Mexican marines after four men and one woman were killed in an earlier clash between unidentified armed groups, the state government said.
None of the dead has been identified.
Drug cartels seeking control of smuggling routes into the US have in the past few years been responsible for a series of massacres, gunfights and kidnappings in Tamaulipas, giving the state the reputation as one of the most lawless in Mexico.
President Enrique Peña Nieto took office in December pledging to eradicate the gang violence that has claimed about 80,000 lives since the start of 2007, but parts of Mexico are still regularly racked by shootings and executions.
The Guardian
Leave a Reply