A city in the Mexican border state of Nuevo Leon cancelled its yearly Independence Day celebration following two days of cartel shootouts in its surrounding areas. Those shootouts killed at least seven gunmen and led to several arrests by authorities.
The violence began on Monday afternoon, when police and military forces were carrying out a series of patrols in the region and came across a convoy of gunmen in various SUVs. Police and military forces tried to intercept the gunmen, who began firing as they attempted to flee the area.
In the subsequent shootout, authorities killed seven gunmen and arrested two others, while the rest of the gunmen managed to escape.
On Tuesday morning, police and military forces carried out a series of search operations throughout the city, trying to find the gunmen who had escaped. Authorities located three of the missing gunmen, and a second shootout erupted. After the gun battle, authorities arrested the gunmen and seize several more weapons.
In response to the ongoing violence, the city of General Trevino sent out a notice alerting the public that the Independence Day celebrations planned for the evening of September 15 were canceled over security concerns.
The cancelation of Independence Day celebrations in Mexico has become more and more common. In previous years, several cities throughout the country have been forced to cancel their events over cartel violence, attacks, or threats.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
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