A total of five unidentified individuals were killed in two separate incidents with Mexican federal security forces in Tamaulipas state since last Tuesday, according to Mexican news accounts.A new release published on the official state government website said that four unidentified armed suspects were killed in Mier municipality Tuesday after they encountered a Mexican security detachment. The incident took place near the Las Morenas break on Kilometer 108 on the Mier to Nueva Ciudad Guerrero road.
A total of six rifles, 96 weapons magazines and 2,486 rounds of ammunition were seized in the aftermath.
In a separate encounter, one unidentified armed suspect was killed last Sunday in San Fernando municipality, according to another Tamaulipas state government news release.
The incident took place at the break near Rancho El Angel on the San Fernando to Reynosa highway. A Mexican naval infantry unit attempted a traffic stop of several vehicles, but instead exchanged gunfire with a number of armed suspects traveling in a convoy.
An unknown number of suspects escaped the encounter, abandoning their vehicles at the scene including one Dodge Dakota pickup truck, one Chevrolet Tahoe SUV and one Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck.
The armed suspect who died was said to be in his 20s.
Marines seized three rifles, 23 weapons magazines, an undisclosed amount of ammunition and a bag of poncha-llantas, used to puncture vehicle tires.
In a separate news account posted on the website of Milenio news daily, federal security forces have temporarily left Ciudad Valles to reinforce security on other areas of Tamaulipas state.
The news report quoted a spokesman for the Grupo de Coordinacion Operativa Huasteca, Gilberto Almendarez MarÃn saying that federal security forces including part of a permanent Policia Federal detachment in the municipality has been sent to Ciudad Mante, Tampico, Huasteca and other areas of Tamaulipas. According to the report a number of federal security elements have been retasked from Tamaulipas to Michoacan.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Ranturg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com.