MEXICO CITY, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- One soldier and six gunmen were killed on Friday in clashes between the military and armed men in Mexico's southern state of Guerrero, local authorities said.
The spokesman for local security authorities, Roberto Alvarez, said the clashes occurred at around 7:40 a.m. (1240 GMT) in the small community of El Naranjo in Guerrero's Costa Grande region.
The armed men opened fire on soldiers who were inspecting the area, he said.
Guerrero police then arrived at the scene and, together with soldiers, secured the area, he added.
Guerrero, one of the states affected most by cartel violence, has in recent months witnessed a rise in attacks on security forces.
On Monday, five police officers were injured in an ambush by gunmen in an Acapulco neighborhood in southwestern Mexico.
Alvarez said earlier that part of the reason behind the rising violence in Guerrero was that cartels were fighting for control of drug production.
