18 dead in drug-related violence in northern Mexico

TAMAULIPAS, MEXICO: Mexican authorities on Tuesday announced that 18 people were killed in drug-related violence in northern Mexico since Sunday, La Jornada newspaper reported.

Violence in the northern state of Tamaulipas left a total of 18 dead, including 11 civilians, as drug-related criminal organizations attacked government buildings and fought between each other.

In the Nuevo Padilla municipality 18 people were killed. Nuevo Padilla is located approximately 50 kilometers from the capital city Ciudad Victoria. In the early hours of Monday, the government palace, a police station and a court were attacked.

On Sunday, a group of gunmen stopped a passenger bus on the Victoria-Matamoros highway while it was traveling through Nuevo Padilla. The passengers were removed from the bus while the gunmen used the vehicle to block the road at about 10:00 p.m. local time.

Another bus was attacked by gunmen in the same area, leaving a 30-year-old woman dead and three other injured. After that, another group of gunmen shot at the police station and a court. Cops responded to the shooting which lasted until early Monday.

When the gunmen drove by the main square, they shot dead five men who were apparently members of an amateur football team. In the same site, the criminals dumped seven bodies of individuals previously killed in execution-style.

While the armed group was fleeing the scene, they encountered a vehicle and shot at the passengers. Two minor children and three adults were killed in the spot. The attacks finished at about 5:00 a.m. local time.

In Ciudad Victoria, a police officer was killed by unknown gunmen. Another individual was shot dead in Jimenez municipality. At about 7:30 p.m., an individual threw a grenade at a store causing severe injuries to nine people, including one girl.

Two rival drug cartels engaged in a shooting in early Sunday at a highway in northern Tamaulipas. The clashes took place on the San Fernando-Reynosa road and the Army had to intervene to stop the shooting. Seven bodies were found nearby elevating the death toll in Nuevo Padilla to 18.

In other areas of the country more drug-related violence took place during the weekend. In the border city of Reynosa, seven bodies were found in a road. In Torreon city in Coahuila state, two individuals were killed just hours after being rescued from kidnapping. In the troubled Ciudad Juarez, 14 people were killed.

(BNO NEWS )