Ten suspected gunmen were killed in a fierce shootout with security forces on Monday in Guanajuato, one of Mexico’s most violence-plagued states. The confrontation, which also left three police officers injured, occurred during a joint patrol by police and military units in Yuriria, a region caught in the crossfire of warring drug cartels.
The Guanajuato State Security Department initially reported eight fatalities but later discovered two more bodies with gunshot wounds. Security forces confiscated 12 firearms, several stolen vehicles, and ballistic vests. Authorities described the response as a legitimate and proportional use of force.
Guanajuato has become a flashpoint in the violent rivalry between the Santa Rosa de Lima gang and the powerful Jalisco New Generation cartel. The ongoing drug war has contributed to over 450,000 deaths in Mexico since 2006, when the government first deployed the military to combat trafficking.
Despite the violence, President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office in October as Mexico’s first female leader, has rejected declaring open war on cartels. She advocates a mix of social policies and improved intelligence to address crime at its roots.
