Six policemen killed in Mexico ambush

CIUDAD JUAREZ - Six police officers and one civilian were killed Friday in an ambush in the centre of Ciudad Juarez in northern Mexico.

Four federal police officers died at the scene, along with an officer of the municipal police and a 17-year-old civilian, the Public Security Ministry said in a statement.

Another federal police officer died in hospital.

Ciudad Juarez, in the state of Chihuahua and across the border from the US city of El Paso, Texas, is widely regarded as the most violent city in Mexico. It reported more than 2,600 killings last year, of a total of over 7,700 across Mexico.

On April 8, the federal police took over public security in the troubled city, replacing the Army. About 5,000 federal police officers have been deployed in the city.

The ambush took place at a crossroad, when federal officers were patrolling the city. The officers were reportedly stopped by a street vendor who asked for their help.

“It was then that several armed men opened fire on the officers from the back of the vehicles,” officials said.

At least one of the attackers was injured.