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By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
Mexican Army units have killed a total of 15 armed suspects in three separate incidents in and around Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, according to Mexican news accounts.
On Sunday night, an army patrol in Los Aldamas municipality near ejido Lampacito was fired on by an undisclosed number of armed suspects. Army return fire killed eight suspects.
Soldiers searching the area following the firefight found and released three unidentified individuals aboard a vehicle who had been held hostage by the armed suspects.
Soldiers also secured eight handguns and rifles and four vehicles abandoned in the firefight.
Meanwhile, in the Cadereyta-Jimenez region east of Monterrey, soldiers killed seven individuals in two incidents Sunday evening.
In San Moises colony, a Mexican army patrol attempted a traffic stop of a Nissan Tsuru sedan, but were instead fired on by the vehicle's occupants. A chase ensued that ended at Kilometer Four of Libramiento Alfonso Martinez Dominguez when the occupants, an unidentified man and and woman died.
In the same area at about the same time, army personnel fired on and killed five unidentified individuals including two woman who had been travelling aboard a Volkswagen Bora. Reportedly, one of the dead, in possession of an assault rifle and tactical gear, attempted to escape army gunfire but died a short distance away from the vehicle. The report does not note the location, only that it took place near a municipal sports center.
Following the conclusion of the pursuit soldiers secured four rifles, tactical gear, 300 packages of marijuana presumably divided for retail sale, and weapons magazines and ammunition.
In other news, a total of seven individuals were killed or were found dead in and around Monterrey in ongoing drug and gang violence.
- A man was found dead Sunday morning on Calle Capitan De castro in Lomas Mederos colony. Santiago Cordoba Cruz, 38, was abducted at gunpoint from his residence in Sierra Ventana in southern Monterrey Saturday night at around 2230 hrs. He had been shot five times. Reports say the victim had a prior criminal conviction for drug sales, but had been working as a bricklayer.
- A man was found beaten to death in Escobedo municiality Friday afternoon. Luis Alejandro Moreno Ontiveros was found in Alianza Real colony about five kilometers from the National Highway. He was blindfolded and had been beaten about the head with stones.
- An inmate at Topo Chico prison was found hanged Sunday evening. Crescencio Jesus Martinez Urbano, 40, who was serving time for a 1995 rape of two women was found dead in the prison shower room.
- An unidentified man was shot to death in Monterrey Saturday night. The victim had been shot 15 times by armed suspects using an AR-15 assault rifle near the intersection of Avenida de la Hacienda and Paseo de la Hacienda in Fomerrey 45 colony. The victim was also stabbed in the neck with a screwdriver. It is suspected the assailants fled the scene on foot.
- An unidentified man and woman were shot to death at a park in Santiago municipality Monday. The victims were in the village of El Cercado when a male armed suspect shot them.
- An unidentified woman in her 50s was found beaten to death in Ciudad Solidaridad Monday. The victim was found lying face down near the intersection of calles Frutilla and Nopal in Mirasol colony.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com.