Mexico: 12 Killed After Soldiers And Gunmen Clash In Sinaloa

Mexico: 12 killed after soldiers and gunmen clash in Sinaloa < br /> 2012-05-03 17:14:04 GMT+7 (ICT) CULIACAN, MEXICO (BNO NEWS) -- A heavy gunfight broke out between soldiers and criminals in western Mexico on Wednesday morning, leaving at least twelve people killed and several others injured, local authorities said. Few details were released.The incident occurred on early Wednesday morning when shots rang out in the small town of Estación Bamoa, not far from Guasave, which is located between Los Mochis and Guamachil in the state of Sinaloa. It was not immediately clear what sparked the exchange of fire.The Attorney-General's office in Sinaloa confirmed a group of gunmen and suspected criminals crashed with military personnel. During the gunfight, a vehicle caught fire and several suspects inside were burnt to death. The escalated incident forced security officials to deploy federal, state and municipal police forces. Among the twelve people were killed were two soldiers.At least five ambulances arrived at the scene shortly after the clashes began, but they were unable to assist directly because they were unable to reach the victims due to the continuing gunfire. Authorities said they seized a .50 caliber M82 semi-automatic anti-material rifle at the scene.Last week, at least thirteen suspected criminals were also killed in Sinaloa, in the municipality of Choix, when clashes broke out between gunmen and security forces. A soldier and a police officer were also killed in the shootings.As the Mexican drug war continues, the country's Attorney General office (PGR) has said at least 12,903 drug-related killings were reported between January and September 2011, although figures for the entire year are not yet available. This will likely bring the total figure for 2011 to more than 17,000, the highest annual number yet.

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