Mexican troops kill 19 suspected cartel members, suffer no casualties: officials

Mexican service troops person killed 19 suspected cause cartel gunmen successful a shootout and suffered nary casualties, the Defense Department said.

The ruling Morena enactment has criticized past administrations for lopsided decease tolls successful which galore suspects but nary soldiers died, suggesting they constituted executions oregon rights abuses.

The confrontation occurred Monday successful the bluish authorities of Sinaloa, connected the outskirts of the authorities capital, Culiacan. The country has been shaken by infighting betwixt 2 factions of the Sinaloa cartel since aboriginal September.

The section said that earlier the confrontation, troops detained a apical lieutenant of the "Mayitos" faction, loyal to imprisoned cause lord Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada. The service did not springiness the sanction of the suspect, who they identified lone by nickname "El Max."

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The service past said troops were attacked by much than 30 assailants, astatine slightest 11 of whom managed to flight and 19 of them were killed erstwhile soldiers returned fire.

The Defense Department claimed soldiers acted successful self-defense and "strict adherence to the regularisation of instrumentality and with afloat respect for quality rights."

It said that 17 rifles — including a .50-caliber sniper firearm — arsenic good arsenic 4 instrumentality guns were seized astatine the scene.

Mexican troops person reportedly killed 19 cartel-linked gunmen successful a shootout. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

The existent circular of warring broke retired aft Zambada claimed helium was forced aboard an airplane connected July 25 by different cause capo who flew them some to the United States and turned them successful to U.S. authorities.

The antheral Zambada claimed had kidnapped him — Joaquín Guzmán López, 1 of the sons of imprisoned cause lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzman — is simply a person of a rival cartel faction known arsenic the "Chapitos."

The shootout Monday was the astir lopsided confrontation since the killing of 22 suspects by soldiers astatine a atom warehouse successful the township of Tlatlaya, successful the State of Mexico, successful 2014.

While immoderate of the 22 died successful an archetypal shootout with an service patrol — successful which 1 worker was wounded — a quality rights probe determined that astatine slightest 8 and possibly arsenic galore arsenic a twelve suspects were executed aft they surrendered.

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Seven soldiers were arrested, freed and past arrested again years aboriginal connected charges of maltreatment of authority.