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By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
A reported third day of gunfights between Mexican Army units and armed suspects took place in the border town of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas Monday afternoon, according to various Mexican news reports.
As of Monday evening gunfights between Mexican Army soldiers and armed suspects were reported on the road to the airport in Nuevo Laredo. Earlier Twitter reports had mentioned two international bridges were the locations of roadblocks put up by drug gang shooters, but it was later confirmed that the bridges mentioned were the two bridges that lead to the airport.
Reports from El Norte news daily website Monday evening claimed a number of dead and wounded armed suspects at the hands of army troops, but those reports will remain unconfirmed. All Mexican federal government entities are under restrictions under Article 41 of the Mexican Constitution not to publish government propaganda during federal elections.
At least one pursuit and gunfight took place on Avenida Reforma at about 1530 hrs when a Mexican Army road patrol encountered a convoy of armed suspects travelling aboard several pickup trucks. Attempts by the army patrol to pursue were stopped as taxis, trucks and cars were, presumably carjacked, left in the path of pursuing security forces.
Roadblocks have been reported throughout the commercial zone, including Paseo de la Reforma hotel, avenidas Monterrey and Lago de Chapala, the airport roads and the road to Piedras Negras, Coahuila or Mexico Federal Highway 2.
Roadblocks have also been reported in Bulevar Luis Donaldo Colosio and near the intersection of Avenida Reforma and Cesar Lopez de Lara.
Nuevo Laredo is generally considered to be Los Zetas territory, but that drug gang has been under considerable pressure from Gulf and Sinaloa drug cartel operatives, who have threatened to end Los Zetas' dominance in the city.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com