At least 20 killed in Mexican drug cartel gun battles near US border

Dozens of cartel gunmen attack a town hall in northern Mexico, triggering a running battle with security forces

US President Donald Trump said last week that he plans to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organisations

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Bullet-riddled trucks left abandoned in the streets were marked C.D.N. – Spanish initials of the Cartel of the Northeast gang. Photo: AP

Published: 1:02am, 2 Dec 2019Updated: 10:31am, 2 Dec 2019

Clashes sparked by suspected drug cartel gunmen in a northern Mexican town killed 20 people this weekend, authorities said, putting more pressure on Mexico’s president to curb gang violence after the United States vowed to label the gangs terrorists.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, mindful of efforts by US President Donald Trump to designate Mexican drug gangs as terrorist groups, repeated on Sunday that he would not accept any intervention from abroad, while doubling down on his strategy of trying to contain the cartels.

But the killings clouded celebrations marking Lopez Obrador’s first year in office, which were buffeted by a march in Mexico City by thousands of people protesting the violence.

The government of the northern state of Coahuila said local security forces killed 14 gunmen on Saturday and Sunday, after a major gunfight broke out in the small town of Villa Union near the Texas border. Earlier, the state government had said police had shot dead 17 cartel members.

The City Hall of Villa Union, riddled with bullet holes. Photo: AP

Four police were also killed in the shoot-outs, which broke out around midday on Saturday, sparking fresh criticism of the government’s approach to handling the powerful gangs.