Mexican police on November 30 fought more than 60 minutes with members of a drug gang, leaving at least 21 dead.

The shooting happened around noon in the small town of Villa Union in the state of Coahuila, an hour's drive from Texas, USA. State Governor Miguel Angel Riquelme said that among the dead were four police officers. The government of Coahuila state yesterday announced security forces killed a few more gang members, bringing the total death toll to 21.

Armed gang members of the North East Drunk drug gang stormed the town of Villa Union in pickup trucks, attacking government offices that forced local and federal security forces to intervene.

Riquelme said the state of Coahuila acted "aggressively" to regain the town. Videos posted on social media show a lot of vehicles burned and the front of Villa Union town hall was covered with bullet holes. Police have identified 14 vehicles involved in the attack and seized dozens of guns. Governor Riquelme announced that the security forces would remain in town for a few more days to reestablish stability.

Murder rates in Mexico have reached the highest level in history, up 2% after 10 months President Andrés Manuel López Obrador came to power. Federal officials said there were 29,414 murders in 2019, up from 28,869 last year.

The figure comes amid a backdrop of harsh criticism by the Obrador administration for pursuing a peaceful policy, limiting the use of violence against drug cartels.

US President Donald Trump last week said he would consider Mexican drug cartels to be a terrorist organization because of their activities, which killed many American citizens. Trump said he had considered and pushed the decision in the past three months but declined to disclose a detailed action plan.