13 Mexican Police Killed During Noon By Armed Men, Bodies Strewn On The Street

Illustration (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - As many as 13 Mexican policemen were killed by gunmen in an ambush outside the capital on Thursday, March 18. This incident was the worst mass slaughter against the security forces that rocked the country in recent years.

Photos of the grisly scene circulating on social media showed bullet-ridden police cars and unmarked trucks, along with bodies of officers strewn along the road or still in cars.

The convoy of security personnel was attacked in broad daylight by suspected gang members in the Llano Grande area of Coatepec Harinas municipality while they were patrolling the area, said Rodrigo Martinez-Celis, Mexico's State Security Minister.

Eight of the officers killed were state police officers, while the other five were policemen assigned to the prosecutor's office.

This area is southwest of Mexico City and about 64 km south of the city of Toluca, the capital of the densely populated State of Mexico, which surrounds most of the capital.

"This attack is an insult to the Mexican state. We will respond with all strength and legal support", the minister said in a speech to the media quoted by Reuters from Antara, Friday, March 19.

The Mexican National Guard gives military powers to the police and the armed forces are looking for the perpetrators by land and air.

It is unclear how many suspected criminals were killed or injured in the incident, or whether it involved one of the country's main drug cartels.