ACAPULCO, Mexico — This popular tourist haven was rocked yesterday by a wild shootout that left 15 drug hit men and two soldiers dead.
The drug-gang gunmen battled troops from a house, throwing grenades at soldiers who had surrounded them, and spraying gunfire into homes and military vehicles.
The firefight, near tourist hotels, began late Saturday and went on until after midnight.
Four policemen were found inside the house, but it was unclear whether they had been kidnapped or were there voluntarily. Soldiers also confiscated dozens of rifles and other weapons.
President Felipe Calderon has staked his presidency on crushing drug gangs whose turf wars have killed about 2,300 people this year. Some 45,000 troops and federal police have been deployed across the country.
Rival drug gangs fought over territory in Acapulco, on the Pacific Coast, several years ago, but the resort town has been relatively free of drug violence in recent years.
Tourism, a key industry for Mexico, took a hit in late April and May when fears of swine flu emptied beaches, restaurants and nightclubs.