Mexican marines arrest suspected Zeta members, File Photo
A shootout between Mexican security forces and suspected drug traffickers in the central mining state of Zacatecas has left 15 suspected cartel members dead.
The five-hour shootout started when a group of suspected Zeta gang members in the small town of San Jose de Lourdes attacked a caravan of Mexican marines.
"Naval personnel were attacked with firearms by a group of organized criminals hiding in a safe house. They repelled the aggression, starting a firefight that lasted five hours," Reuters quoted a marine statement as saying on Saturday.
Six marines were injured, 15 suspected cartel members were killed and another 17 were captured, according to the statement.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon sent about 3,000 federal police and soldiers into Sinaloa in May as part of his campaign to rein in drug lords, who have run rampant in some parts of Mexico.
Over 34,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico since Calderon began a war with the drug cartels in 2006.
MSD/HGH/MMN
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