6 killed in shootout between highway robbers in Mexico

MEXICO CITY – Six suspected highway robbers were killed Tuesday in central Mexico in what appears to have been a shootout between gangs.

Federal police said the shootout occurred on the main highway through the central state of Puebla. The dead men were part of a gang that robbed freight trucks on the highway, officials said.

Local media reported that some of the dead were found with guns, and that the confrontation may have been part of a turf war between thieves.

The shootout happened as President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador accused previous governments of having abandoned the fight against crime and violence.

Lopez Obrador said “the focus was on raids against organized crime, and public and citizens’ safety was completely abandoned.”

Lopez Obrador, who took office Saturday, said he would not abandon the fight against drug cartels, but would focus on combatting common crime like homicides and robberies that affect people’s daily lives.