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By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
A firefight between a Mexican Army unit and armed suspects has claimed the lives of 12 armed suspects Tuesday, according to Mexican news reports.
According to information found on the website of El Universal news daily, the confrontation took place near the village of Palo Gacho in Emiliano Zapata municipality, where the Mexican Army maintains a security checkpoint.
According to a report published at the website of Milenio news daily, a group of armed suspects travelling aboard several vehicles refused an order to stop, which initiated the gunfight.
Soldiers at the scene also seized an undisclosed number of weapons and vehicles.
According to the Milenio report, a Twitter posting from the government of Veracuz state disclosed that a number of military checkpoints are set up on major roads into Xalapa.
Emiliano Zapata municipality is about 15 kilometers southeast of Xalapa, the capital of Veracruz state, and about three kilometers southwest of Mexico Federal Highway 140.
The security operation was billed as part of Seguro Veracruz, a joint security operation similar to Seguro Laguna, which combines municipality state and federal security assets in an effort to stop illegal drug manufacture and distribution in the area as well as migrants travelling to the north and the United States.
In a related report on the website of Univisionnoticias.com, four unidentified individuals were found dead near the village of Matacocuite in Veracruz municipality. A total of100 individuals have been murdered or found dead in less than a month in Veracruz state.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com
© Copyright 2012 by Chris Covert
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