Gun battles rage across border; three more dead

Officials reported three people dead after another day of gun battles in Tamaulipas cities across the border from the Rio Grande Valley.

Tamaulipas state officials reported two armed civilians were killed in a shootout with Mexican army soldiers Wednesday evening near downtown Reynosa.

Reynosa city officials first reported the shootout in the Altamira neighborhood, near the S-Mart along the Anzalduas Canal, about 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Possible injuries or fatalities among soldiers were not disclosed. Mexican federal authorities continue to investigate the incident.

In Miguel Alemán, across the border from Roma, a man believed to be about 25 years old was found dead along a highway near Los Guerra neighborhood, state officials said. He had multiple gunshot wounds.

Reynosa city officials reported a shootout along Mexico Highway 2, between Reynosa and Rio Bravo, Tamps., about 3 p.m. Thursday. No information about possible casualties was immediately available.

The latest fatalities come after six others reported by state and federal authorities since Saturday.

Dozens have died in gun battles in various Tamaulipas border cities after a reported split between the Zetas and the Gulf Cartel, the once allied drug trafficking gangs that have dominated the region for years.

But it’s not just these two cartels targeting one another.

Two government buildings in the Tamaulipas capital Ciudad Victoria were bombed Thursday afternoon, state officials reported on a government Web site dedicated to providing residents with emergency alerts.

One bomb was detonated at the city’s state police headquarters, and another at the city’s local police department.

Officials also reported that two people riding a motorcycle near the city’s transit department fired guns into the air.

No injuries were reported in connection with the Victoria incidents.

Last week, the U.S. Consulate in Monterrey advised Americans to avoid driving between Reynosa or Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey. Consular officials said cartel checkpoints have been set up at random times along Mexican highways, with thugs harassing motorists. One recent carjacking involved a U.S. citizen.