MEXICO CITY, Sept 10 (Askume) – A shootout in western Mexico’s Sinaloa state has raised fears an inter-cartel war is about to break out following the arrest of renowned trafficker Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada in July.
Authorities say one soldier and two civilians were killed on Monday. Videos shared widely online showed heavily armed gunmen roaming neighborhoods of the state capital Culiacan on foot or in trucks, with the sound of gunfire in the background. Several cars and businesses were hit by gunfire.
Calm had returned by Tuesday morning, though some shops were closed in the afternoon.
Analysts have predicted a war within the Sinaloa cartel since Zambada’s arrest on July 25. The senior cartel leader, believed to be in his mid-70s, has alleged that a senior member of another cartel faction, Los Chapitos, kidnapped him and then took him to the United States against his will.
El Mayo and Los Chapitos, groups led by the sons of former Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, are widely believed to lead the two most powerful factions of the powerful crime syndicate.
A Sinaloa-based security official told Askume that fighters from the Los Chapitos faction had entered areas under Zambada’s control to intimidate him. However, some media reports said fighters loyal to Zambada had attacked the Los Chapitos faction.
“It’s believed there could be more fighting, and these clashes are between the same two groups (within the cartel),” said America Armenta, an independent Sinaloan journalist in Culiacan.
Mexican authorities sent 90 additional special forces troops to Sinaloa on Tuesday, bringing the number of elite troops sent to the state since Zambada’s arrest to nearly 600.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the government was “watching and taking action” to ensure peace.
“This is a confrontation, and I hope it is temporary,” López Obrador said at his daily press conference on Tuesday.
