DRUG SHOOTOUT LEAVES 3 SOLDIERS DEAD IN MEXICO'S GUERRERO

Mexico City--Jun 22--A shootout between an Army patrol and presumed drug
traffickers in a remote mountain region of the state of Guerrero left 3
soldiers dead and 3 wounded, according to an Army spokesman. The spokesman
said the attackers were not members of the Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR)
rebel group.

"They were common criminals, drug traffickers, not rebels with the EPR,"
Sargent Carlos Mendez told Bridge News today. Asked how he was sure, Mendez
said, "The soldiers managed to spot 2 people in the group of attackers, and
they were not wearing any sort of uniforms."

Mendez said there were "only 3 or 4" attackers

The Army patrol was out undertaking work as part of an ongoing campaign to
eradicate plantations of marijuana and opium, which dot the mountains of
Guerrero.

The ambush took place at 1315 local time at Kilometer 50 of the Ciudad
Altamirano-Zihuatanejo highway, in a rural, mountainous region, according to
an Army statement.

Mendez said the Army was already mounting patrols to track down the attackers.

Tensions in the poor, violent state of Guerrero have always been high, but
have increased further still following the Jun 7 shootout between soldiers
and a rebel group in El Charco. The rebels have said they will retaliate for
the attacks, but have yet to do so.

Violence is so prevalent in Guerrero--especially in the rural areas of the
state--that it is often difficult to distinguish between rebel groups,
political assassinations, drug-related killings, and the settling of
personal scores.

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett