Mexico: Deadly Sinaloa cartel territory battle forces schools to close as national holiday festivities are canceled | World News

National Day celebrations have been canceled and schools closed after 12 people were killed in days of violence blamed on a drug cartel turf war in Sinaloa.

Violence broke out on Monday as tensions rose between the two most powerful factions of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel.

It comes after the trader and leader of the Los Mayos faction, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambadawas arrested in the US.

The cartel leader, believed to be in his 70s, claimed that a high-ranking member of Los Chapitos, another faction of the cartel, kidnapped him and then flew him across the border against his will.

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Governor Ruben Rocha Moya announced the measures, saying he was concerned about the safety of children and young people.

“We must continue to take care of them,” he said.

Public transportation in Culiacan, the state capital, is limited in capacity, with many residents staying home and not traveling to work.

Mexico’s federal government has sent more than 500 special forces soldiers to the state since Zambada’s arrest.

Outgoing President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador said the military was trying to maintain order, adding that authorities “must try to ensure that the population is not affected and that they do not fight each other.”