Global site navigation

12 dead as police clash with gang suspects in western Mexico
World

12 dead as police clash with gang suspects in western Mexico

by  AFP 1 min read
Mexican troops stand guard at the scene of a gun battle between police and suspected criminals in El Salto in western Mexico
Mexican troops stand guard at the scene of a gun battle between police and suspected criminals in El Salto in western Mexico. Photo: ULISES RUIZ / AFP
Source: AFP

PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see YEN.com.gh News on your News Feed!

A gun battle left four police officers and eight suspected gang members dead in Mexico's western state of Jalisco, authorities said Thursday.

The clash happened on Wednesday night at a house in El Salto on the outskirts of the city of Guadalajara and, according to witnesses, lasted for more than an hour.

Eight suspects were killed and three others seriously injured, Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro said.

Two people being held captive inside the building were rescued following a tip-off that gunmen had been seen taking gagged people into the house, prosecutor Luis Mendez Ruiz told reporters.

Several people were arrested, and weapons and ammunition were seized.

Ten police officers have been murdered this year in Jalisco, one of Mexico's most violent states due to the presence of criminal gangs, according to official figures.

Read also

Brazil's 'Pablo Escobar' fights extradition from Hungary

PAY ATTENTION: check out news exactly for YOU ➡️ find "Recommended for you" block and enjoy!

The western region, one of the country's most prosperous, is the cradle of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which authorities blame for numerous deaths and disappearances.

Its leader, Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera, is one of the world's most wanted drug lords, with the US Drug Enforcement Administration offering $10 million for his arrest.

More than 340,000 people have been killed in a spiral of bloodshed in Mexico since the government deployed the army to fight drug cartels in 2006.

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.

Hot: