MEXICO CITY, OCT 25 – Several clashes between Mexican security forces and suspected criminals have left at least 16 people dead in the violence-plagued southern state of Guerrero, the military said yesterday.
The first battle took place in the town of Tecpan de Galeana, near the Pacific coast, where two people were killed and four others were wounded.
Security forces battled a gang of criminals who had attacked a military base in the same area, killing 14 gunmen, according to a statement from the national defense secretariat SEDENA.
Guerrero, one of Mexico’s poorest states, has been plagued by years of violence linked to territorial disputes between cartels vying for control of drug production and trafficking.
Last year, 1,890 murders were recorded in the state, home to the seaside resort town of Acapulco, once a luxury retreat for the rich and famous now plagued by crime.
In early October, the mayor of the capital city of Guerrero was killed less than a week after taking office, with his beheading sparking outrage across the country.
In the northern region yesterday, in the state of Guanajuato, a car bomb exploded outside a police station, injuring three officers, local officials said.
The explosion damaged the police station, four houses and several other residences but only police officers were injured, according to a statement from the department.
The central region is a thriving industrial hub and home to several popular tourist destinations, but is now considered the most violent state in Mexico.
On October 4, the bodies of 12 slain policemen were found in several locations in Salamanca, a city in Guanajuato. – AFP