Posted by DD republished from Yahoo News
ALFREDO PENA,Associated Press
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| photo from BB archives |
The Tamaulipas state government said the violence erupted early Sunday after soldiers, marines and police began the operation aimed at a drug cartel that operates in Reynosa.
A state police official who insisted on anonymity told The Associated Press that the operation was aimed at arresting the Gulf Cartel's leader in Reynosa. The official would not say if Juan Manuel Loza, also known as "El Comandante Toro," was caught.
The state government said at least three armed clashes occurred over several hours, and gang members also set vehicles on fire and blocked roads. Four soldiers were injured when their vehicle overturned, officials said.
Similar events happened in April 2015 when authorities launched an offensive against another local leader of the Gulf Cartel.
Tamaulipas has suffered through several waves of violence in recent years tied to the drug trade. The Gulf Cartel battled with its former allies in the Zetas cartel for a number of years, but officials say that violence since 2015 has often resulted from a dispute between rival factions of the Gulf Cartel.
DD. As regular readers know news from Tamaulipas is very difficult to obtain. In an article that Otis posted on BB on Dec. 15, 2015, the attack on the PGR compound in Reynosa was conducted by the Gulf Cartel in retaliation for the capture of Loza "el Toro" the day before the attack. We will have more on this as it becomes available.