Mexican soldiers kill 19 drug cartel suspects and suffer no casualties in Sinaloa state

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican army troops have killed 19 suspected drug cartel gunmen in a shootout but suffered no casualties themselves. The Defense Department said late Tuesday the confrontation occurred in the northern state of Sinaloa, on the outskirts of the state capital, Culiacan. The state has been shaken by infighting between two factions of the Sinaloa cartel since early September. The department said that before the confrontation, troops detained a top lieutenant of the “Mayitos” faction, loyal to imprisoned drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. The current government has criticized past administrations for lopsided death tolls in which many suspects but no soldiers died, suggesting they constituted executions or rights abuses.