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10 gunmen, soldier killed in shootout in Mexico
The Associated Press
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s attorney general says organized-crime slayings more than doubled in the first 11 months of 2008 to hit 5,376.
Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora says the 117 percent spike in gangland killings compared to the same period in 2007 is mainly related to increased infighting among drug cartels.
The number of killings for the first 11 months of 2007 was 2,477.
Some drug cartels have begun to fight former allies, and long-standing disputes for control of lucrative drug trafficking routes have added to the violence. Law enforcement officials also say that increased street-level drug dealing in Mexico is to blame.
The nation’s top prosecutor spoke to reports on Monday.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) - At least 18 people were killed in a single day in a southern Mexican state plagued by drug violence, including two beheadings, authorities said Monday.
Two human heads inside plastic buckets were left near Guerrero state Gov. Zeferino Torreblanca’s office in the capital city of Chilpancingo. A man was also shot dead there and another killing occurred in the resort city of Zihuatanejo in drug-related violence Sunday, the state Public Safety Department said in a news release.
Ten suspected traffickers and a soldier were killed in two gunbattles Sunday in the town of Arcelia. Authorities also found the bodies of three men who had been shot to death near Acapulco, it said.
In neighboring Michoacan state, the bodies of three men who had been missing since Thursday were found near the town of Zitacuaro. All three had been tortured and shot in the head, state investigators said in a statement.
The Mexico City newspaper El Universal says more than 5,000 people have died this year in drug-related violence. Authorities have not released an official toll.
Police in the northeast city of Monterrey said 10 banners alleging police corruption and federal protection of drug cartels were found Monday.
The banners, painted on white sheets in black and red ink, appeared outside various locations in Monterrey including the city’s cathedral, a hospital and the town hall of San Nicolas, a Monterrey suburb.
A spokeswoman for Nuevo Leon state’s Public Safety Department, who was not authorized to give her name, said it was not known who had hung the banners.
Several of the messages were addressed to President Felipe Calderon and alleged Public Safety Secretary Genaro Garcia Luna is helping the Sinaloa drug cartel. Garcia Luna has rejected those allegations.