MEXICO CITY?- Prosecutors in the Mexican border state of Chihuahua say 11 people died in a confrontation between rival cartels fighting for control of turf in the Tarahumara mountain range.

The state's Attorney General's Office said Sunday in a statement that the fighting took place on Friday in the municipality of Guachochi. At the scene, officials found more than 1,000 bullet casings and four burned SUVs.

The statement said no Mexican security forces took part in the fighting.

The isolated mountain region, which is home to the Tarahumara indigenous group, has been affected in recent years by drug violence, as the Sinaloa and Juarez cartels fight for control of the northern area.

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