Seven killed in Mexico shoot-out

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Seven people, including six police officers, have died in a shoot-out with suspected gang hitmen in Mexico, officials say.

The killings happened in Ciudad Juarez, just across the US border from Texas.

Police came under fire as they tried to stop vehicles carrying the suspected hitmen, a police officer told AFP news agency.

Last year more than 2,600 people were killed in Ciudad Juarez in drug-related violence.

The city is the battleground for rival cartels fighting over lucrative smuggling routes into the US.

A civilian was among those killed in the latest shooting. Two other officers were injured, according to reports.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has poured thousands of armed police and troops into the area to wrest control from the powerful gangs.