Sinaloa Shootout: Mexican Army Defends Lopsided Battle

In Sinaloa, Mexican troops killed 19 suspected cartel members with no reported army casualties. This clash heightened criticism around similar past incidents deemed excessive force or rights abuses. Tensions arose after rival cartel factions, linked to drug lords Zambada and Guzman, clashed exacerbating regional instability.

The Mexican army reported the deaths of 19 suspected drug cartel members in a shootout in Sinaloa with no military casualties, sparking controversy and echoing past criticisms of disproportionate force used by troops.

The clash occurred near Culiacan amid ongoing turf wars between cartel factions loyal to known drug figures Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada and Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's offspring, the so-called 'Chapitos'.

The Defense Department defended the actions as self-defense, seizing numerous weapons including a sniper rifle. Critics, however, recall historical precedents of rights abuses, underscoring the volatile nature of drug-related violence in Mexico.

(With inputs from agencies.)