Mexican police kill 7 at gang camp in Huasteca region

MEXICO CITY – Seven suspected gunmen are dead after police raided a gang camp in Mexico’s northern border state of Tamaulipas.

Drug gangs in Mexico often use rural encampments as training bases and areas to hold kidnap victims or dispose of bodies.

The Tamaulipas state government said Tuesday that state police raided the camp near a lake used by tourists.

The police got a tip that armed men were camping there, in a region known as the Huasteca.

The officers came under fire from the undergrowth and returned fire, killing seven men.

The area is plagued by turf battles between rival factions of the old Zetas cartel.

The Huasteca is known for its crystalline rivers, lakes and waterfalls.