Mexican Soldiers Kill Six Presumed Criminals Near US Border - Reports

Mexican soldiers shot dead six presumed criminals during a skirmish in the northeastern city of Matamoros on the US-Mexico border, local media reported Sunday, citing local authorities.

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) — According to the Tamaulipas state government, the servicemen were patrolling the rural area in one of the suburbs of the city on Saturday when a group of gunmen driving in two cars opened fire at them.

The military were forced to shoot back, killing six members of the group. A large number and variety of weapons and ammunition was found and seized at the site of the clashes.

The Mexican state of Tamaulipas is an arena of violent fighting between two powerful criminal syndicates – Los Zetas and Cartel del Golfo (the Gulf Cartel) that compete over the control on drug trafficking.