Mexican soldiers stand guard during a clash between members of drug gangs and the military in Acapulco, Mexico, June 6, 2009. AFP/Claudio Vargas/Files

 

MEXICO CITY: The Mexican military fought back against an armed attack in the violent southwestern state of Guerrero on Saturday night, leaving eight suspected gang members and one soldier dead, authorities said on Sunday.

At around 11 PM, troops were making their rounds in the city of Teloloapan, about 250 kilometres (155 miles) from Mexico City when they came under gunfire from suspected gang members dressed in fake military uniforms, Roberto Álvarez Heredia ? a spokesman for the Guerrero Coordinating Group ? said in a statement.

The military secured two vans painted in camouflage, weapons, and uniforms, authorities said.

A soldier was wounded in the confrontation and died afterwards from his injuries.

The public prosecutor?s office in Guerrero ? home to the resort city of Acapulco on Mexico?s Pacific coast ? has begun an investigation into the attack, authorities said.

Violence has spiked in Guerrero over the past decade as a growing number of criminal gangs vie for control of crops of opium poppies and for drug-trafficking routes.