The violence continues to rise on the Mexican border. In two separate highway shootouts in Border City, 11 people have been killed, including an innocent bystander, two suspects, and eight criminals.
According to The Blaze,
CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico (AP) — Two highway shootouts between soldiers and suspected drug gang members in a northern border city resulted in 11 dead Saturday, including a bystander caught in the crossfire, Mexican authorities reported.
The violence in Nuevo Laredo, across from Laredo, Texas, prompted the temporary closure of the highway, which is a major artery for travel and commerce between the United States and Mexico.
The Tamaulipas state government said in a statement that the armed confrontations began early Saturday when troops killed eight suspected criminals on the highway. Soldiers seized a truck and high-caliber weapons, it said.
An hour later another shootout broke out nearby in which two suspects were killed, along with a woman who was traveling in her car, authorities said.
Nuevo Laredo Mayor Carlos Canturosas said Saturday night via Facebook that the highway, which handles nearly half of the export-import cargo between Mexico and the United States, had reopened.
Nuevo Laredo has experienced high violence rates as rival factions of the Zetas drug cartel fight for control of the area.
This situation on the border continues to escalate and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. With the forced closure of the road, a strain is put on America’s exchanges with Mexico and tourism and the economy suffer. Luckily the highway wasn’t closed too long, but it is a sign of what is to come if some sort of resolution is not found.