The Mexican Army has killed five cartel gunmen during a firefight near the Texas border.

The shootout took place near the ranching city of San Fernando, along the highway that connects Ciudad Victoria, the state capital, with the border city of Matamoros, according to information released by Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office to Breitbart Texas.

A convoy of Mexican soldiers was patrolling the area when they spotted a group of five gunmen riding a gray late model Toyota Tundra. The convoy tried to approach the truck but the gunmen opened fire as they tried to flee. The soldiers fought off the attack and managed to kill the five cartel gunmen in the truck. The soldiers then seized the truck and assault rifles, along with the ammunition magazines that the gunmen had.

San Fernando is about 80 miles south of Brownsville, Texas and lies along the main highways connecting Tamaulipas to the Texas border. San Fernando has been one of the areas that has been in constant conflict for control of the territory since its many rural roads make the ranching community a prime location for drug trafficking.

Mexican authorities have not confirmed if the gunmen were part of Los Zetas or if they were part of the Gulf Cartel. Since the beginning of the month, the Gulf Cartel has been going through an internal war as two regional factions have begun a fierce feud over control of the organization.

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