By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
A total of ten unidentified individuals were shot to death or were found shot to death over the weekend in the northern border state of Tamaulipas, according to official Mexican news accounts.
Saturday night in Miguel Aleman municipality, a Mexican Army road patrol encountered armed suspects traveling in a convoy, and exchanged gunfire with the suspects leaving four dead and two wounded.
According to a news release which appeared on the official website of Tamaulipas state, the army patrol encountered a convoy including a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck in the village of Los Guerra and attempted to affect a traffic stop, only to be fired on. Mexican Army counterfire ended the confrontation.
Soldiers seized 17 rifles, one 0.50 caliber Barret rifle, 11 grenades, two grenade launcher attachments, three handguns, weapons magazines, ammunition, tactical gear and a package of marijuana. Five unidentified individuals were also detained at the scene.
According to official reports, Mexican Army units have been reinforcing the region following a Friday night incident in which a hotel in Migeul Aleman was fired on by armed suspects said to be part of the convoy the unit encountered a day later. No one was reported hurt in the incident. Damage was limited to the facade of the building.
Meanwhile in southern Tamaulipas, six unidentified individuals were shot to death in a series of shootings in Tampico and Madero municipalities Saturday and Sunday.
According to the official version, three unidentified individuals were shot to death at a hotel in Madero Sunday afternoon at about 1510 hrs. The shooting was said to be an assassination. Of the three victims, one of them was said to be an employee of the hotel.
In Tampico at around 1530 hrs, one unidentified man was found shot to death at the intersection of calles San Pedro and Nardos in Las Violetas colony.
An hour later in Madero one unidentified man was shot to death by armed suspects traveling aboard a Volkswagen Jetta. The incident took place near the intersection of calles Malva and Lilas in El Chipus colony.
At around 1650 an unidentified man was found shot to death near the intersection of calles Honduras and Aduana in Talleres colony.
Officials say that three separate intergang firefights took place in Tampico Saturday night, but police were unable to find any bodies.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com