(Mexico City) Mexican security forces killed 11 gunmen in a shootout Wednesday after a car chase in the northeast of the country, authorities said, the latest in a series of clashes linked to cartels.
An air and ground manhunt was launched after the attack on a command post, the Nuevo Leon state government said in a statement.
Security forces then pursued armed men traveling in a convoy of about eight vans, leading to a shootout in the municipality of Los Ramones. “Eleven criminals” were killed and no casualties were reported among the security forces, according to the same source.
An armed suspect was arrested and weapons and vehicles were seized, the Nuevo Leon state government said. The man was arrested after he was seen on a highway wearing camouflage clothing, a weapon and tactical gear.
Clashes between security forces and suspected cartel members are common in Mexico.
The spiral of criminal violence, largely linked to drug trafficking and gangs, has led to the deaths of more than 450,000 people in the Latin American country since 2006.
In the northwestern state of Sinaloa, home to one of the country’s most powerful and violent drug gangs, infighting between cartels has left dozens dead this month.
The violence erupted after the surprise arrest on U.S. soil of Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada in late July, which reportedly sparked an internal power struggle.