At least 10 presumed cartel members were killed in a clash with police in México state on Tuesday morning.

The confrontation occurred during an operation in southern México state to apprehend a leader of the Familia Michoacana crime group, according to a report by the newspaper El Universal.

The state Attorney General’s Office (FGJ) said state police came under attack by a heavily armed group on the Toluca-Texcaltitlán highway in the municipality of Texcaltitlán, located about 65 kilometers southwest of Toluca. Officers responded with “legitimate force,” it said.

The FGJ said that 10 aggressors – presumably members of the Familia Michoacana – died at the scene of the clash and four others were injured. El Universal put the death toll at 11.

The FGJ also said that police arrested seven people – four men and three women – and seized weapons, ammunition, tactical equipment and five vehicles. Soldiers, marines and members of the National Guard provided support to the state police.

Three state police were wounded in the clash and two required medical treatment and were taken to hospital by helicopter. The FGJ reported that they were out of danger.

The Familia Michoacana, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and smaller local criminal groups operate in southern México state, where police have been targeted on several previous occasions.

In Coatepec Harinas, which borders Texcaltitlán, 13 police were killed in March 2021 in a clash against the Familia Michoacana, while four officers were wounded last month when armed men attacked a police station in the municipality of Sultepec.

With reports from El Universal