Rantburg.com
A total of 11 men were killed in several gunfights in the border cities of Matamoros Monday and Reynosa Tesday, according to official Mexican news accounts.
Monday the mayor of Matamoros, a Tamaulipas city that borders the United States, Leticia Salazar warned her city via Twitter about roadblocks and gun fights taking place in Matamoros.
Late Monday night the Grupo Coordinacion Tamaulipas reported a total of five armed suspects were wounded in gunfights with Mexican security forces.
According to the news release which appeared on the website of Tamaulipas state government, gunfire was exchanged starting at 1300, and ending at 1500 hrs, and spread to other sectors of the city.
One gunfight, which took place at 1400 hrs near the intersection of calles Valle Real and Valle Monica in Valle Real, left one Mexican Army soldier dead.
According to the report, the incident began Uniones colony where a Mexican Army road patrol attempted to stop a SUV, but instead attempted to flee, initiating a pursuit. When the patrol followed the SUV into Valle Real colony, the soldiers were were ambushed.
The report said a number of other army road patrols were ambushed in other sectors of the city. The report said that at least five armed suspects were wounded in the fighting.
A news account which appeared in the online edition of El Diario de Coahuila news daily said that a separate encounter took place between Mexican Army forces and armed suspects at 1330 hrs near the intersection of calles de Sendero Nacional and 12 de Marzo in Las Aguilas and Puerto Rico colonies, as well as at other sectors in the city as well.
Armed suspects put up roadblocks in the streets and laid out across several streets in Matamoros ponchar de los neumaticos, or metal stars used to puncture vehicle tires .
A Mexican Naval Infantry helicopter was also deployed Monday in an attempt to prevent the escape of armed suspects traveling in the city by vehicle and had been fired on by armed suspects.
According to the news report five armed suspects were killed in a firefight on Avenida Uniones in Esperanza colony near the Decofimex factory.
The five dead were said to be members of the Gulf Cartel.
According to a news account which appeared in Notinfomex, a number of gunfights and road blocks have taken place in Reynosa Tuesday afternoon which have left five armed suspects dead.
The sudden activity in Reynosa is said to be local criminal gangs' reaction to the detention by a Mexican Naval Infantry unit of a Gulf cartel plaza chief identified in news account only as El Simple.
Another news account which appeared in Amigos de Tamaulipas website mentioned a Tweet by the Nuevo Leon Coordinacion Estatal de la Policia Federal which warned that a number of gunfights and roadblock were taking place in Reynosa, warning Nuevo leon residents away from the region.
Twitter reports include roadblocks on Avenida Hidalgo, and said that government helicopters are flying in the area.
The Notinfomex account said that a total of five armed suspects have been killed in Reynosa so far.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com