MUZQUIZ, Coahuila – An ambush by Los Zetas set off a fierce gun battle that killed several cartel gunmen, one soldier, and a police commander. The shootout follows a rash of similar attacks and gory executions as the cartel continues intimidation tactics directed at law enforcement.

The ambush took place on Sunday in rural Muzquiz, approximately 80 miles south of Piedras Negras. Officials confirmed the death of six cartel gunmen, however, unofficial information points to as many as 18 casualties involving machine guns and .50 caliber rifles. Authorities are trying to downplay the incident.

The attack took place when a convoy of gunmen from the Cartel Del Noreste (CDN) faction of Los Zetas ambushed a group of Coahuila state police. Law enforcement fought off the attack and called for backup. The two sides clashed for close to an hour before the gunmen disappeared down various dirt roads. A police commander who was seriously injured in the clash died hours later.

The violence in northern Coahuila follows another attack on law enforcement Saturday, as well as an attack on the police building in Sabinas. CDN gunmen shot at a police building shortly after leaving an SUV with five bodies inside. The victims were identified as a local businessman and his family.

Editor’s Note: Breitbart News traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by “J.M. Martinez” from Coahuila.