Managua: A Nicaraguan army patrol killed six people near the Honduran border suspected of links to marijuana growing and trafficking in the mountainous area, the military said in a statement Tuesday.
The incident occurred on Monday in the Jinotega region.
The statement said the patrol came under shotgun fire from "several criminals" and responded.
"As a result of the exchange of gunfire, six criminals whose identity is unknown were killed, and five shotguns were seized," it said.
Nicaragua is relatively safer than other Central American countries with gang activity, such as El Salvador and Honduras. But the police and army have waged a crackdown in recent years on criminals in Jinotega.
In August last year, five policemen were killed on the Caribbean coast in another attack by an armed gang.
AFP
