At least 15 people were killed after a gunfight erupted between the Mexican military and armed men in the southern state of Guerrero on Tuesday, according to authorities.
The shootout took place after local police received an emergency call which reported the presence of a group of armed men in the community of Tepochica in the municipality of Iguala, according to a report released by Roberto Alvarez Heredia, security spokesperson for Guerrero state, reported Xinhua news agency.
The report indicated that the armed men attacked the military and then a conflict broke out.
The incident occured just one day after armed assailants that left 13 police officers dead in an ambush in Auguililla, a town in west-central Michoacan state.
Last month, at least five people were killed after gunmen opened fire at a bus terminal in Cuernavaca, the capital of the central Mexican state of Morelos.
In August, in Guerrero, the drug cartel boss was arrested after engaging in a turf war with a rival in that state’s mountains.
Guerrero is one of the states in Mexico with high rates of violence and drug trafficking activities, and more than 20 armed groups operate in the state, including community police, self-defence groups and drug cartels, according to Mexican government reports.
(With IANS inputs)