At least 21 people were killed on Thursday in a shootout near the US-Mexican border between rival groups linked with organized crime, confirmed the Mexican police officials. As many as two criminal gangs, involved in drug and human trafficking, took on each other in an isolated area, located about 12 miles south of the international border, Sonora State Police spokesman Jose Larrinaga Talamantes told reporters.
According to reports, authorities confiscated eight bullet-riddled vehicles and seven weapons from the scene, which is just 20 miles south of Nogales, Arizona. The reason behind the clash and shootout is still unknown. However, investigators have expressed hope to get
Investigators recovered eight bullet-riddled vehicles and seven weapons from the area, about 20 miles south of Nogales, Arizona, he said. The cause of the shootout is unknown, he said, but authorities hope to get more information from suspects in custody. Police said that they had detained as many as nine people. Six of the detainees were admitted to a nearby hospital for treatment. They had sustained minor injuries.
Meanwhile, the Mexican Army, state police and federal police claimed that they arrived soon after they received the information in this regard. According to witnesses, when the cops arrived, shootout that took place around 4.a.m on Thursday, was over. Investigators told the media that they were still hunting others involved in the shootout.
The US-Mexico has a history of such clashes. The poor law and order situation in Mexico has also escalated such incidents. According to the Mexican federal government, as many as 22,700 people were killed the country since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the cartels shortly after taking office in December 2006.
