Mexico: Nine killed in clash between criminals, police

Nine people including a policeman were killed in clashes early Saturday in the western Mexican state of Michoacan, a region that has been hit by violence linked to organized crime.

"Elements of the Michoacan Police, National Guard, local police and Mexican Army neutralized eight criminal targets," the local public security office said on Twitter. "A municipal agent lost his life in the line of duty."
The agency said in a statement that four armed civilians were killed in the town of Sahuayo when the vehicle in which they were fleeing flipped over during a car chase with law enforcement, AFP reports.

Another four armed individuals died in the same area during a shootout with authorities, according to a statement. A municipal agent was wounded and was hospitalized, but died from the wounds.

Michoacan has long struggled with violence linked to organized crime, due to clashes between rival gangs involved in drug trafficking and other illegal activities.

In late March, gunmen killed at least 20 people at a clandestine cockfighting ring in the town of Zinapecuaro.

The month before, an armed group attacked people attending a wake, killing the alleged head of a criminal group, according to the government.

Local media reported that between 10 and 17 people were killed in the attack.

Mexico has been trapped in a spiral of cartel-related violence since 2006, when the government launched a controversial anti-drug operation with federal troops.

There have been more than 340,000 murders since then, most of them blamed on fighting between criminals, according to official figures.

EUM