MEXICO CITY, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least 25 people were killed Thursday during a shootout between Mexican army and a group of suspected gangsters in northern state Nuevo Leon, the Defense Ministry said.
A Defense Ministry spokesman told local media that all the dead were criminal suspects. However, officials so far have not been able to identify to which gang they belonged.
The clash, which occurred in the municipality of General Trevino, close to state capital Monterrey, started when soldiers were fired upon close to camp.
Nuevo Leon has witnessed growing violence in recent months due to clashes between Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel. The two groupings were former allies who fell out and are now competing in the region's most lucrative illegal business: smuggling drugs into the United States.
