Saltillo, the capital of Coahuila state: Seven people had been killed and four police officers were injured in a series of firefights that caused alarm throughout the city

<p>Amanda Garcia's peaceful life in Saltillo, Mexico, was shaken this past March when she witnessed a military convoy heading at full speed and against traffic on one of the city's important avenues.<br />The lawyer had taken an alternate route to get home sooner and be with her 7-year-old son. It had been a difficult day in Saltillo, the capital of Coahuila state: Seven people had been killed and four police officers were injured in a series of firefights that caused alarm throughout the city, the state attorney general's office said.<br />A few yards from reaching her home, she was stopped at a military checkpoint.<br />"When I parked I saw at least six soldiers in front of my car, getting out of their vehicle and aiming at me, asking me to get out. One came close to my door and I heard a sound I had never heard before, apparently of a weapon when you take the safety off. Few times in my life had I felt so scared," she said.<br />After an inspection, the soldiers told Amanda that they were looking for a vehicle similar to hers and that she was free to return home.<br />"Usually, the presence of the army does not make me nervous at all, to the contrary. But that day, I really thought they were going to shoot at me," she said. "I've never seen the city so empty."<br />Two days later, a soldier died and another was injured in a confrontation with suspected drug traffickers, after four cartel roadblocks were reported in various parts of the city, according to the attorney general's office.<br />Saltillo, with some 700,000 residents, is a colonial city that until recently was known for its auto industry -- General Motors, Chrysler and Freightliner have plants there -- and construction. However, the situation has changed progressively until the city has reached notoriety for other reasons.<br />According to a report from intelligence company Stratfor, the Gulf and Sinaloa cartels formed the New Federation, an alliance combating the Zetas cartel, and launched an offensive to control the trafficking routes in Mexico's northeast.<br />"There were pacts here, and now those pacts are broken and a battle has begun between various criminal groups for this territory. This is evident," said Raul Vera, the Catholic bishop of Saltillo.</p>

Saltillo, the capital of Coahuila state: Seven people had been killed and four police officers were injured in a series of firefights that caused alarm throughout the city

Amanda Garcia's peaceful life in Saltillo, Mexico, was shaken this past March when she witnessed a military convoy heading at full speed...

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