Sources: Soldiers ambushed in Reynosa

Several Mexican soldiers were killed when gunmen ambushed them Thursday afternoon in Reynosa, said sources outside law enforcement familiar with organized crime.

The ambush came in response to heavy casualties the military inflicted on gunmen Thursday morning, the sources said.

The clashes continued a violent week along the northern Tamaulipas border, which had experienced weeks of relative calm until a reported push by the Zetas drug cartel to take over Gulf Cartel territory in Reynosa and Matamoros.

In Thursday’s clashes in Reynosa, roads were blockaded and gunbattles pitted the Mexican military against gunmen, and rival groups of gunmen against each other.

In the morning, gunmen fought the Mexican military for more than 30 minutes in the Aztlan and Las Lomas de Infonavit neighborhood. The exchange of fire included hundreds of rounds and more than a dozen grenades. At least seven gunmen were killed, said a source outside law enforcement familiar with organized crime in Mexico.

Tamaulipas Ministerial Police agents refused to disclose information on the shootouts.

About 5 p.m., a firefight broke out between rival gunmen in the Jarachinas neighborhood. It became a three-way battle when the Mexican military arrived.

Shortly after 5:30 p.m., gunmen drew Mexican soldiers into an ambush near the Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena Middle School, also known as Secundaria 60, said a source outside law enforcement. When soldiers sent to investigate a suspicious-looking vehicle emerged from their truck, members of organized crime ambushed them, setting off an intense firefight. At least four gunmen died and an unknown number of soldiers were injured or killed.

Thursday also saw bloody clashes in San Fernando, Tamps., and the state capital of Ciudad Victoria.

At least four gunmen were killed amid fighting in parts of San Fernando, said sources outside law enforcement.

And in Ciudad Victoria, gunmen battled the Mexican military along main avenues and other city streets. Several soldiers were gunned down outside the state government offices housed in a building known as the Crystal Tower, a source outside law enforcement confirmed.