MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Mexican marine and four suspected gunmen were killed during a coordinated series of ambushes against marine patrols in a northern Mexico border city, authorities reported Sunday.
The attacks late Saturday and early Sunday left a total of 12 marines wounded.
Authorities said marines were ambushed three separate times in Nuevo Laredo, a city across the border from Laredo, Texas.
Marines returned fire and killed one gunman in the first attack, but suffered three wounded.
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Another patrol was sent to help the wounded when it also came under fire; that ambush killed one marine and wounded several others.
A third patrol was ambushed just outside the marine base as it responded to the first two attacks. In that shootout, three gunmen were killed.
Mexico’s navy said in a statement that the gunmen had fake Marine uniforms and Marine markings on their vehicles.
Nuevo Laredo is dominated by the Northeast Cartel, an offshoot of the Zetas cartel.