For a map, click here Updated with additional information from Nota Roja.
By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
A total of 14 individuals were killed in two firefights in a remote mountain municipality of eastern Sinaloa state early Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon, according to Mexican news reports.
The death toll in the early morning firefight included four armed suspects, one police officer and one soldier. Another two soldiers were wounded in the encounter.
A Mexican Army unit was dispatched at about 0200 hrs near the village of El Picho in Choix municipality after receiving false reports of a gunfight between two armed suspects. On the return leg near the village of Chinol, between the villages of El Potrero de los Fierro and San Simon, the unit came under small arms fire.
Among the dead was Mario Bejarano, a leader of the armed group in the area. Reports also said that about 100 armed suspects were observed in the area prior to the early morning firefight. Following the morning encounter a number of armed suspects fled the area and began digging in.
The firefight between the army unit and armed suspects lasted several hours. The gunfire was apparently intense enough to cause the detail commander to request air support in the form of a Mexican Air Force Bell 206 helicopter. Armed suspects fired on the airship, hitting an unidentified sergeant. The NCO was rushed to a hospital where he later died. Earlier reports are the helicopter was down, but news reports citing unnamed Mexican Army sources said the helicopter was hit, but is operable.
The Choix municipality police agent who was killed in the encounter was identified as Hector German Ruiz Villa. It is also reproted that a relative of the Choix municipal Secretaria de Seguridad Publica was kidnapped Saturday afternoon.
Five others were hit by gunfire as well, apparently civilians who were sent to area hospitals.
Materiel seized in the aftermath of the first encounter included five AK-47 rifles, one .50 caliber Barrett rifle, 36 weapons magazines for AK-47, four disc magazines for AK-47, one Barrett weapons magazine, four rifles, 1,500 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, 28 rounds of .22 celiber ammunition, five .45 caliber rounds of ammunition, one fragmentary hand grenade (pineapple style) and six weapons magazines.
Vehicles seized included one Hummer SUV painted military olive green color with false military markings and one rifle attached on a mount, a pickup truck painted as a Sinaloa state police vehicle, a patrol vehicle painted as a Sinaloa state judicial police patrol vehicle, and two vehicles painted as Policia Federal patrol vehicles.
A subsequent firefight took place the following afternoon near the village of Yecorato where Mexican Army soldiers and Sinaloa state judicial police agents encountered an armed group which movement was observed by Mexicam Air Force helicopters in the area. In that encounter eight armed suspects died.
The village of Yecorato is about 20 kilometers south of Choix and five kilometrs west of the first firefight.
Earlier accounts placed the number of dead at as many as 40, and had said the encounter was because Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin Loera Guzman AKA El Chapo or Shorty had been captured. Earlier reports also said the encounter was a three way firefight included Mexican security forces and two other opposing armed gangs.
The mayor of the village of El Fuerte, Eleazar Rubio Ayala, has told Mexican media that at least 30 dead were scattered around the area of the gunfights. Earlier reports said that unidentified local funeral homes were expecting a large influx of cadavers from the encounter.
According to Milenio news daily, military sources said Beltran-Leyva cartel operatives were killed in the firefight. News reports have not confirmed if a second armed group was involved in the firefight.
Choix municipality is on Sinaloa State Highway 32, and is an area generally considered to be Beltran-Leyva Cartel territory.
Choix itself is about 20 kilometers from the eastern border with Chihuahua state, but the firefight took place less than five kilometers from the border.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com