Death toll from northern Mexico gunfights rise to 21

The death toll from a gunfight by suspected cartel gunmen in a northern Mexican town has risen to 21, putting more pressure on Mexico's president to curb gang violence after the United States vowed to label the gangs terrorists. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has ruled out any intervention from abroad, while doubling down on his strategy of trying to contain the cartels.

The government of the northern state of Coahuila said local security forces killed 14 gunmen over the weekend, after a major gunfight broke out in the small town of Villa Union near the Texas border. Police and civilians were also killed. Homicides reached record levels in Mexico last year and are on track to surpass that total this year.