The violence, linked to the arrest of cartel leaders, has prompted school closures and security alerts in the affected areas.

At least 30 people have been killed in the past two weeks in Mexico's northern state of Sinaloa as two factions of the powerful Sinaloa cartel continue to clash, authorities said Tuesday. Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said that two military personnel were among those killed in the fighting that started Sept.

In Culiacán, businesses have closed, public transportation has been cut back and Independence Day festivities have been canceled.