Shootout leaves 18 dead in Mexico

MEXICO CITY: A shootout between suspected drug cartels left 18 people dead on Saturday in Mexico, a government official said.

The gunfight happened in a remote area of Zacatecas state in the country’s north, said Rocio Aguilar, a spokeswoman for the state government.

Drug-related violence has claimed more than 300,000 lives in Mexico since 2006, when the government started deploying federal troops to fight the cartels.

"There were 18 dead, and the confrontation occurred in the community of San Juan Capistrano, in the municipality of Valparaiso," Aguilar added.

The battle was between rival gangs fighting over turf, she told Milenio TV.