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Updating death toll and adding a more complete list of munitions seized.
A running gun battle between armed suspects, and a detachment of the Mexican Army with civilian security elements early Wednesday morning in Jalisco and Zacatecas has left five suspects killed, according to Mexican news accounts.
Late reports say a second running firefight took place in the same area a few hours later apparently related to the first gun battle.
Ten dead are reported total for both battles, all armed suspects.
The civilian security forces in the first firefight included municipal police and state police agents from both Jalisco and Zacatecas.
Reports say eight different firefights took place on the Mexican Federal Highway 23 between Colotlan, Jalisco and Tepetongo, Zacatecas, an area where several similar battles have taken place between Mexican security forces and armed criminal groups.
An undetermined number of vehicles belonging to armed suspects were destroyed by machine gun fire and by grenade launchers, including one vehicle completely destroyed by fire..
Soldiers also found several abandoned vehicles along the stretch of highway. A Lincoln Navigator was found with weapons aboard.
Soldiers seized total for both battles five AR-15 assault rifles, four AK-47 assault rifles, one G3 assault rifle, two shotguns, one M-79 grenade launcher, 338 rounds of ammunition of different calibers and two pistols.
Five more abandoned vehicles involved in the firefights were found on the Colotlan-Jerez road and in the town of Jalpa, Zacatecas.
A second firefight took place in Colotlan, Jalisco between armed suspects and Jalisco state police on Mexican Federal Highway 23 which left a toll of five suspects dead, one wounded and four arrested.
Interrogations by police determined the armed suspects were members of Los Zetas.
The firefight started at about 0300 hrs on the Huejucar-Colotlan road, when agents responded to calls concerning armed men in the area. Agents began pursuit of a convoy of vehicles heading north to Huejucar from Colotlan.
Information revealed the Los Zetas members were attempting to head back into their area of operation in Zacatecas when they were intercepted by Jalisco police agents.
At the conclusion of the gun battle police recovered four vehicles, three in Jalisco and one in Zacatecas.