Mexico kills 11 cartel suspects near U.S. border

MEXICO CITY - The Mexican army said Monday 11 suspected drug cartel members were killed and a soldier wounded in a shootout just south of the Texas border.

Soldiers began engaging with the gunmen Saturday after they opened fire from a building where they had holed up in city of Valle Hermoso, south of Brownsville, Texas, the Defense Department said in a news release.

The army patrol later seized the building, finding 11 dead gunmen and 73 rifles inside. Two suspects were arrested.

The wounded soldier was taken to a hospital for treatment. His condition was unknown.

The Gulf and Zetas drug cartels operate in the area.

In Veracruz, a Gulf coast state bordering Tamaulipas to the south, unidentified assailants tossed an explosive device into a building where a cockfight was being held early Sunday, state prosecutors said in a statement.

One man was killed and nine others slightly wounded, the statement said. The wounded were treated at hospitals and released.

State prosecutors did not specify what type of explosive device was involved. They also did not say if they had arrested any suspects or uncovered a motive for the attack.