4 die in Tamaulipas state
2014-02-04
Posted by: badanov
A total of four individuals, including one unidentified Mexican Army officer were killed in ongoing fighting in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, according to officials and Mexican press accounts.
Saturday two men were reportedly killed in an exchange of gunfire between armed suspects and an element of Tamulipas' Grupo de Coordinacion Tamaulipas (GCT) in Matamoros, according to a news release posted on the state government website.
The encounter took place near the intersection of calles Uniones and Las Torres in the Parque Industrial del Norte colony. According to the report, a Mexican Army road patrol observed several armed suspects traveling aboard a Chevrolet Suburban SUV when the patrol was fired on. Mexican Army counterfire killed two. An undisclosed number of other armed suspects had apparently abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene.
The report said that one of the dead was killed on the road, while the other died while still in the SUV. The dead were men in their 20s and 30s.
Soldiers at the scene seized four rifles, one hand grenade, 36 weapons magazines, 1,019 rounds of ammunition and tactical gear.
Meanwhile in Miguel Aleman municipality, one armed suspect was killed and three were detained in an armed confrontation with Mexican security forces Friday.
A separate official news release reported that a Mexican Army road patrol encountered a group of armed suspects traveling aboard an SUV near the intersection of calles Tamaulipas and Salubridad in Nuevo Amanecer colony. When the patrol attempted a traffic stop, they were fired on.
Mexican Army return fire killed one and wounded a second suspect. Three men were detained at the scene, including one of the suspects wounded in the encounter.
The dead suspect was identified in the news release as Edgar Eduardo Reyes Garcia, 23. The three detainees were identified as Nestor Alberto Flores, 21, and Emilio Neftali Lopez Diaz, 20. The third detainee, Geronimo Alberto Ibarra MejÃÂa, 27, a was wounded in the gunfight.
Soldiers at the scene seized five rifles, one hand grenade, an undisclosed quantity of weapons magazines and ammunition, and personal quantities of marijuana and rock cocaine.
Finally on Friday, one Mexican Army officer was killed and two other soldiers were wounded in a helicopter crash in Reynosa, according to Mexican news accounts.
A report which appeared on the online edition of Milenio news daily said that the crash took place inside a Mexican Army camp, identified as Camp 8B. The Friday news report said that the crash is considered an accident. None of the victims' names have been released.
The helicopter was identified as a Bell 212, known in the US as a "Huey" utility helicopter. A number of other soldiers were aboard the bird when it went down, but were not reported hurt in the crash.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national [political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com.
If you have something to add, Fire Away!
Number of Comments so far: 0
Click here for a list of stories in the Post 2012 Mexico category