Mexico City, Feb 20 (UNI) At least 12 suspected hitmen were killed on Sunday in a confrontation between Mexican Army troops and an armed gang in northeast Mexico's Tamaulipas state, said a state security official on Monday.
The incident occurred in the municipality of Miguel Aleman when an army patrol countered an "attack" by armed assailants hiding in the undergrowth, said spokesperson for Tamaulipas Public Security Jorge Cuellar at a press conference.
Security was reinforced on Monday with a bigger presence of the army and National Guard in the northern part of the state, an area known as the "small border" with the United States, said the official.
Authorities seized weapons and ammunition after the clash, said the spokesperson's office on social media.
Tamaulipas has for years been riddled with violence due to fighting among rival drug trafficking groups and clashes with law enforcement.
Since 2014, Mexican authorities have reinforced security tactics to combat crime in Tamaulipas, such as purging the police force to combat corruption.
UNI/XINHUA ARN