Heavy Fighting ongoing in southern Chihuahua -- UPDATED
2011-03-04
Posted by: badanov
For a map, click here. For a map of Chihuahua, click here. This story may be updated throughout the day as more details filter out of the area.
Several newspapers in Chihuahua state in Mexico and nationally are reporting a gun battle in southern Chihuahua between Mexican security forces and a criminal group that is being backed by local civilians in the area.
So far, no official confirmations as to killed and wounded in that gunfight are available, but at least one police officer has been reported by local press wounded in the gunfight.
The last reports say the battle, starting between 0600 and 1000 hrs Thursday, was still going on at 2200 hrs Thursday (CDST).
The initial gunfights was between a criminal group said to be responsible for the recent assassination of a former local mayor, and Chihuahua state police agents near the municipality of Villa Coronado in far southern Chihuahua.
El Monitor Parral reports that the gunfight centers around the areas Pico de Aguila and San Pedro where a recent marijuana bust took place. Th newspaper said its reports say the fighting started around 0600 hrs and was still ongoing at 1500 hrs.
The newspaper also reports that several Parral municipal police officers were dispatched around 1600 hrs to Villa Coronado to aid in detention of captured suspects.
The newspaper also said one police agent was wounded.
Report say at least one vehicle linked to several crimes in the area has been seized by the army, but added that armed suspects are holed up in the hills in the area.
The incident centers around an attempt to arrest individuals responsible for the murder of Jose Luis Prieto Torres late last month.
Prieto Torres was abducted several days before he was found in the Villa Lopez area, near Parral Chihuahua. Prieto Torres was formerly mayor of Villa Allende which is also near Parral.
Apparently Chihuahua state police agents went to Villa Coronado to serve an arrest warrant in that case when they were fired on. It is also reported that the Prieto Torres murder may be related to several extortion cases involving local farmer, ranchers and businessmen in the area.
Reports also say that as the gunfight continued, reinforcements for the state police agents were sent into the area including Mexican Policia Federal and army units. As well, several unidentified civilians were said to be aiding the suspect group, though reports were not clear as the nature of the aid, nor their nexus to the criminal group.
parral recently suffered one of the worst mass shootings last Sunday when five individuals, including an employee with the state attorney general's office were shot to death at a bar in Parral.
To read the brief on that shooting, click here.