NUEVO LAREDO, Aug 4 — At least 11 people died and 17 others were wounded in clashes in northern Mexico between security forces and criminal gangs, authorities said yesterday.

The bloody confrontations ocurred in the states of Tamaulipas, Durango and Sinaloa, where violent drug cartels are vying for power.

Clashes in the city of Reynosa, near the American border, early Saturday claimed five lives and wounded nine others, a source in the state prosecutor’s office told AFP.

At least one of the deceased is a soldier, the source added.

At least three people perished in the mountain town of Otaez when shooting broke as soldiers toured the area, located in the state of Durango, said prosecution spokesman Raymundo Enrique Partida.

A soldier is among the dead, he added.

The other fatalities occurred in the city of Culiacan where three suspected criminals died when a gun battle erupted as military personnel attempted to check a building.

Eight people were wounded, according to a prosecution source.

To date, Mexico’s drug war has left an estimated 70,000 people dead. – AFP