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By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
Fighting between drug gangs and Mexican security forces began anew early Saturday morning in Nuevo Laredo killing 10 armed suspects, according to Mexican news accounts, Twitter accounts and narcoboard postings.
According to a post in mforos.com, gunfire was exchanged in numerous colonies in Nuevo Laredo beginning at 0230 hrs. The colonies affected included Infonavit, Benito Juarez and San Rafael colonies in western sectors of the city.
According to the account, units of the Mexican Army observed a convoy of vehicles, and as the drivers of the convoy were signalled to stop, soldiers were fired on, sparking a pursuit and gunfight.
A second pursuit and gunfight took place about 20 minutes later when a separate Mexican security forces convoy came under gunfire and pursuit. The exchange of gunfire included Mexican Army, Mexican Naval infantry and Tamaulipas state police units.
The fighting lasted until 0420 hrs.
According to a late report posted on the website of Proceso newsweekly, local government sources claim they have counted a total of 10 armed suspects dead in six separate engagements.
Father south in Ciudad Victoria, the state capital of Tamaulipas, one armed suspect was killed in an armed confrontation between a Mexican Army road patrol and two armed suspects Friday. According to news posted on the website of Milenio news daily, the two suspects fired on the Mexican Army unit from a vehicle.
Mexican Army return fire killed one suspect. The news story does not state the second suspect had been detained, so it is presumed the second suspect escaped the shootout.
One pistol and the vehicle were seized following the conclusion of the encounter.
New Los Zetas Group Appears
According to a news item posted on the Noticias-mexico.com website, a news story on Saturday morning's firefights had been appended with an announcement of the formation of a new separate Los Zetas group, according to the translation, opposed to Los Zetas' leader Miguel Trevino, who has apparently assumed leadership of the gang in the wake of the shooting death of Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano at a baseball field in Coahuila earlier this month.
The group has dubbed itself Los Legionarios, which has been described as a renegade Los Zetas group. The announcement said that Trevino, known as Z40, had a hand in the death of Lazcano Lazcano.
It is unclear if the Saturday morning shootouts had anything to do with the formation of the new group. Blog del Narco has claimed fighting has erupted between shooters aligned with Z40 and the new Los Legionarios group, which has killed eight.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com