MCALLEN, Texas – Two American citizens who are U.S. Army veterans remain missing after taking a trip to the Mexican border city of Matamoros.

According to information released to Breitbart Texas by Brownsville Police, Ernesto and Jesus Garcia had travelled to Matamoros on January 30th to visit relatives. The two brothers were supposed to drive back to Brownsville on Monday at around 2 a.m. They have not been heard from.

At the time the two brothers went missing the border cities of Matamoros, Reynosa, Valle Hermoso and Rio Bravo turned into warzones as two rival factions of the Gulf Cartel began a bloody struggle that still rages on. As Breitbart Texas previously reported the ongoing fighting has prompted the U.S. Consulate to issue a travel warning that mentions convoys of gunmen taking part in intense rolling shootouts. Matamoros Mayor Leticia Salazar has also issued several alerts warning the residents to stay off certain streets during the fighting.

While citizens who have spoken with Breitbart Texas claim the shootings have left dozens of bodies, the Tamaulipas government has only confirmed 14 dead gunmen and an injured police officer.

As Breitbart Texas previously reported amid the ongoing violence, cartel members have kidnapped and beaten the director of a local newspaper called El Manana and thrown a grenade at a local TV station called Televisa.

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