A Guatemalan soldier was wounded this Monday during an armed clash with presumed Mexican drug traffickers in a border community between Guatemala and Mexico, the Army reported. The Ministry of National Defense (Mindef) specified that the shootout occurred in the community of Agua Zarca, in the municipality of Santa Ana Huista, department (province) of Huehuetenango, bordering Mexico. An Army spokesperson detailed that presumed armed groups entered Guatemalan territory in the provinces of Huehuetenango and San Marcos, firing shots on several communities. It is suspected that the armed group that entered Guatemala belongs to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), although local authorities did not provide further details on the matter. He added that at that time, Army soldiers were conducting routine patrols in Agua Zarca, where the clash occurred that left one soldier wounded in a lower limb, although “he is out of danger.” Following the incident, units of the Armed Forces reinforced security measures in the area to guarantee the protection of the communities. The Ministry of Defense assured that during subsequent operations, soldiers located weapons, explosives, and surveillance equipment such as drones, which were made available to the authorities. The quantity of the seized items was not specified. Guatemalan authorities are carrying out coordinated actions with the Secretariat of National Defense of Mexico, in compliance with the Army's obligation to guarantee the country's sovereignty. One of the most recent occurred on June 8 of this year on the La Mesilla border, in the municipality of La Democracia, also in Huehuetenango. On that occasion, presumed members of the cartel known as 'Los Pakales' (Chiapas-Guatemala Cartel) crossed the border into Guatemala to escape from Mexican agents. After the incident, four armored vehicles, long-barreled weapons, and a grenade launcher were seized, although the Guatemalan Army and the National Civil Police (PNC) did not intervene directly in the confrontation. After a clash that had begun on Mexican territory, the death of four hitmen was reported. Among the deceased was identified Baldemar Calderón Carrillo, alias Tío Balde, along with three other Guatemalans, according to the Ministry of the Interior at the time.
