The bodies of nine men who died in a confrontation between criminal groups were found in Guerrero on Wednesday.

Police responded to a 911 call on Wednesday night in the municipality of Zitlala.

The confrontation took place on a road between the municipal seat of Zitlala and the community of Pochahuizco.

Along with the bodies, police found around 50 shell casings corresponding to AK-47 and AR-15 rifles.

State police said the victims were members of a branch of the Rojos crime gang that operates out of nearby Chilapa and is led by Zenen “El Chaparro” Nava Sánchez, who was arrested on August 22.

The Rojos gang has been fighting with the rival crime gang Los Ardillos to control the municipality of Zitlala for more than six years. The city of Chilapa, only 20 minutes away, has been the center of the conflict between the two groups.

The war has claimed the lives of over 1,000 people in the area, and led to over 300 disappearances.

The clash comes a week after another incident in Guerrero where soldiers exchanged fire with armed civilians outside Iguala, leaving one soldier and 14 suspected criminals dead.

Source: El Universal (sp), Proceso (sp)