Ten dead in armed clashes in central Mexico

Clashes between gunmen and security forces left 10 people dead on Monday in a region of Mexico wracked by cartel-related violence, authorities said.

A police officer was among those killed after gunmen in several vehicles opened fire on security forces in the central state of Guanajuato, according to an official statement.

Eight alleged assailants were reported dead after police fought off the attack, along with one person described as a civilian.

Guanajuato has been shaken by a deadly turf war between rival cartels Jalisco New Generation and Santa Rosa de Lima.

The state’s network of energy pipelines and its refinery have attracted gangs battling for control of trade in stolen fuel.

On Thursday, gunmen killed at least nine people in an attack on a wake in the region.

More than 300,000 people have been murdered since Mexico deployed the military to fight the drug cartels in 2006, with most of the killings blamed on organized crime.