15 Killed Over 2 Days in Clashes Between Army, Criminal Gangs in States of Puebla and Tamaulipas Xuxin - Xinhua
go to original May 5, 2017

Residents burn tires to block a highway during a protest against the army after an incident yesterday with suspected oil thieves in the community of El Palmarito, on the outskirts of Puebla (Reuters)

Update: Death Toll in Reynosa Between Rival Drug Gangs Rises to 12 (Associated Press)

A series of firefights in different parts of Mexico have left at least 15 people dead over the last two days, according to government reports on Thursday.

The first incident saw four soldiers and six suspected criminals perish in two attacks by a group stealing fuel against solders in the central state of Puebla.

In a statement Thursday, the federal government said that the attacks took place in the community of Palmarito, with 10 people killed, another ten soldiers and a criminal injured, as well as 14 suspected gang members arrested.

The Ministry of Defense said the first attack took place at 8:15 p.m. local time when soldiers arrived in Palmarito to investigate the reported fuel theft.

In the statement, the ministry said the gang opened fire on the soldiers and used women and children as human shields to avoid a counter-attack. Two soldiers died in this initial assault and another was injured.

The second incursion took place at 10 p.m. local time as soldiers patrolled the area. Gang members, travelling in vans, opened fire again, with two soldiers losing their lives.

Puebla's secretary of the interior, Diodoro Carrasco, later stated in a press conference that six criminals had also been killed in this attack.

...To the north of the country, fights between criminal gangs in the city of Reynosa, in the state of Tamaulipas, killed five people, said the state government.

Read the rest at Xinhua

Related: Mexico Army Launches Crackdown on Oil Thieves as Pemex Reports Major 'Gasolinazo' Profits (teleSUR)

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