Twelve armed civilians were killed in a clash with soldiers in Tamaulipas, authorities in this state in northeastern Mexico said on Sunday.
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The clash occurred during a security and surveillance mission by soldiers in the municipality of Miguel Aleman, on the border with the United States, the security service of the Tamaulipas government said on social networks.
“Parts of the Sedena (the army) were attacked by armed civilians hiding in the undergrowth,” with the result that “twelve attackers were neutralized,” this service added of the incident, which occurred around 2 p.m. local time (8 p.m GMT).
Government sources confirmed to AFP that the 12 attackers, suspected members of a drug cartel, were killed in the clash and that the army had deployed drones and a helicopter to assist.
Tamaulipas is a state plagued by violence linked to organized crime. It is the scene of constant clashes between cartels competing for lucrative drug smuggling routes into the United States.
Mexico has recorded more than 420,000 assassinations and tens of thousands of disappearances since late 2006, when then-President Felipe Calderón (2006-2012) launched a controversial military offensive against drugs.