At least a dozen dead in northern Mexico shootout near Texas border

MONTERREY, Mexico (Reuters) - At least 12 people were killed in a shootout with security forces in northern Mexico near the border with the United States, Mexican authorities said on Sunday night.

Tamaulipas state's security agency said in a statement published on X that the soldiers were on patrol in the municipality of Miguel Aleman, along the Texas border, when they were attacked by "armed civilians."

The agency did not respond to questions about whether any soldiers were killed or injured in the shootout.

The state of Tamaulipas has various organized crime groups, whose main activities include human smuggling and drug trafficking, authorities say.

(Reporting by Raul Cortes and Laura Gottesdiener; Editing by Aurora Ellis)