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By Chris Covert
A total of eight individuals died Friday and Saturday in Coahuila state, according to Mexican news accounts.
Four unidentified armed suspects were killed by a Mexican Army unit on patrol in the Zona Centro of Sabinas Saturday, when armed suspects opened fire on the soldiers.
Following the exchange of gunfire, the army unit seized six rifles, 64 weapons magazines, one fragmentation grenade, 1,171 rounds of ammunition and various tactical gear.
Friday evening four prison guards were shot to death after they were abducted from a Christmas party in Torreon, Coahuila. The guards were later found dead near the intersection of calles Abedul and Margaritas at 1730 hrs.
The guards were identified as Ruben Rojas Rodriguez, 43, Mario Aguirre Bridges, 39, Juan Antonio Guzman Ramirez, 37, and Jose Antonio Garcia Seanez, 30.
Torreon, part of the area in southern Coahuila known as La Laguna, is where a major security operation -- named Segura Laguna -- involving local state and federal security forces, has been in operation since late October.
Despite those efforts, numerous shootouts, most intergang fighting have taken place in Saltillo, the capital of Coahuila several kilometres to the east as well as in La Laguna itself.
The La Laguna region sits on a major east-west highway soon to be improved by the Mexican federal government to aid commerce between the coasts.