Mexican forces kill 10 Zetas cartel suspects in clash

VERACRUZ: Ten suspected Zetas drug cartel members died Thursday in a gunfight with soldiers and police in eastern Mexico, authorities said.

The clash erupted after security forces were shot at from a house as they drove down an avenue in the city of Perote, the Veracruz state public security agency said.

"As a result of this clash, nine men and one woman were killed," the agency said in a statement.

The authorities said the suspects were part of a Zetas unit dedicated to kidnapping and one of the cartel's most dangerous cells.

Founded by a former elite military troops, the Zetas are known as a vicious gang blamed for much of the violence that has plagued Mexico in recent years.

But authorities have dealt blows to their leadership in the past two years.

Zetas kingpin Miguel Angel Trevino was captured in the northeastern border state of Tamaulipas in July 2013, while his predecessor, Heriberto Lazcano, was killed in a shootout with troops in October 2012.