18 killed as army, gunmen clash in Acapulco
Pastor Dale Morgan
18 killed as army, gunmen clash in Acapulco*
* Story Highlights
* Mexican soldiers, organized-crime suspects fight in Acapulco,
authorities say
* Two soldiers, 16 "members of organized crime" killed; nine other
soldiers wounded
* Five people arrested in connection with shootout; authorities
seize weapons
* Soldiers were investigating anonymous tip, says Mexican Defense
Ministry
(CNN) -- Eighteen people, including two soldiers, were killed Saturday
in a gunbattle between the Mexican army and organized-crime suspects in
the Mexican resort town of Acapulco, the Mexican Ministry of Defense
said Sunday.
Mexican soldiers hold rifles Saturday during a clash with
organized-crime suspects in Acapulco.
The incident began about 7 p.m., when the soldiers went to a location
called Avenida Rancho Grande in Acapulco "to exploit information
obtained through an anonymous tip," the ministry said in a statement.
The soldiers were met by gunfire, it said.
Five people were arrested in connection with the shootout. Two soldiers
and 16 gunmen were killed, and nine soldiers were wounded, the statement
said.
The gunmen were not identified, but the statement called them "members
of organized crime."
Authorities seized 36 large-caliber weapons, 13 small-caliber weapons,
two grenade launchers, 13 fragmentation grenades, 3,525 rounds of
various caliber ammunition, 180 charges and eight vehicles, the ministry
said.