The Mexican army troops have successfully neutralized 19 suspected drug cartel gunmen in a recent shootout in the northern state of Sinaloa. The Defense Department confirmed that there were no casualties among the soldiers involved in the operation.
The confrontation took place on the outskirts of Culiacan, the state capital of Sinaloa, where two factions of the Sinaloa cartel have been engaged in violent clashes since early September. Prior to the shootout, the troops had apprehended a key lieutenant of the 'Mayitos' faction, associated with the imprisoned drug lord Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, known by the nickname 'El Max.'
According to the Defense Department, the troops were attacked by over 30 assailants, resulting in the death of 19 gunmen while at least 11 managed to escape. The army maintained that the soldiers acted in self-defense and in strict adherence to the rule of law and human rights.
During the operation, the army seized 17 rifles, including a .50-caliber sniper rifle, and four machine guns from the scene. The recent escalation of violence in Sinaloa was triggered by an incident where Zambada was allegedly abducted and handed over to U.S. authorities by Joaquín Guzmán López, a leader of a rival cartel faction known as the 'Chapitos.'
This shootout marks one of the most significant confrontations since the 2014 incident in Tlatlaya, State of Mexico, where 22 suspects were killed by soldiers. A subsequent human rights investigation revealed that several suspects were executed after surrendering, leading to the arrest of seven soldiers on charges of abuse of authority.
