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21 killed as suspected Mexican drug cartel storms town near US border

Shootouts in a northern Mexican town leave 21 people dead, including four members of police.

A damaged vehicle after a gunbattle between Mexican security forces and suspected cartel gunmen
Image: A damaged vehicle after the shootout
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Twenty one people have been killed after Mexican security forces clashed with suspected cartel members in a town near the Texas border.

Seven gunmen were killed early on Sunday after ten alleged cartel members had died in a shootout in Villa Union, a town in Coahuila state about an hour's drive southwest of the US border.

Four police were also killed and six wounded in the shootouts, said Coahuila's governor, Miguel Angel Riquelme.

It comes days after Donald Trump vowed to wage war against the cartels, designating them terrorists, after nine members of the same Mormon family were killed in an attack on their convoy.

A vehicle used by suspected cartel members in a gunbattle in Mexico
Image: A vehicle used by suspected cartel members

The Cartel of the Northeast is said to have stormed the town of 3,000 people in a convoy of trucks, attacking local government offices and provoking a response from state and federal forces.

Some 14 vehicles were involved, Mr Riquelme added, and more than a dozen guns were seized.

Coahuila state Governor Miguel Riquelme Solis looks at a police vehicle shot during a gunbattle
Image: Coahuila state governor Miguel Riquelme Solis looks at a damaged police vehicle

Videos of the aftermath showed vehicles burned out and the facade of Villa Union's municipal office riddled with bullets. Several municipal workers remain missing.

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In other videos of the shootout, frantic people tell loved ones to stay indoors to the sound of rapid gunfire.

A wall of the room of a home is riddled with bullet holes
Image: A wall of the room of a home is riddled with bullet holes

One features images of a damaged black pickup truck with C.D.N. written on its door - said to stand for Cartel del Noreste, or Cartel of the Northeast.

Mr Riquelme said security forces will remain in the town for several days to restore a sense of calm.

A damaged pick up is on the streets after a gun battle
Image: This vehicle was left badly damaged after the shootout

Mexico has been plagued by murders related to the drugs trade.

Officials said recently that there have been 29,414 killings so far in 2019, compared to 28,869 in the same period of 2018.

Residents stand in front of a home riddled with bullet holes after a gun battle
Image: Residents stand in front of a home riddled with bullet holes

Following Mr Trump's comments, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he would not accept any foreign intervention in Mexico to deal with violent criminal gangs.