U.S. tells Citizens in Mexico to shelter after cartel leader's killing...

The United States Department of State on Sunday urged American citizens in Mexico to shelter in safe place amid violence, roadblocks and flight cancellations following the killing of a top cartel leader by Mexican soldiers.

“Due to ongoing, widespread security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity in many areas of Mexico, U.S. citizens should shelter in place until further notice,” the department’s Consular Affairs section said in a post on social media platform X.

Roadblocks have disrupted airline operations, with some domestic and international flights cancelled in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, it said.

The Mexican army said Nemesio Oseguera, 59, leader of the violent Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was wounded in a clash with soldiers in the town of Tapalpa and died while being flown to Mexico City. The United States had offered a $15 million bounty for information leading to his capture.

Meanwhile, Canada said it was monitoring the situation closely and advised its citizens in Mexico to “keep a low profile and follow the advice of local authorities.”

Ottawa urged Canadians in Michoacan, Guerrero and Jalisco states to shelter in place, citing “shootouts with security forces and explosions.”

Several U.S. and Canadian airlines cancelled flights to parts of Mexico on Sunday following the unrest.

American carriers United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines, as well as Canadian airlines Air Canada and WestJet, announced cancellations of flights to Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara and Manzanillo.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on her part urged citizens to remain calm and said the central government was in touch with state authorities.

Oseguera, whose nickname was "El Mencho," is one of the biggest Mexican drug lords to be taken down since the capture of the founders of the Sinaloa cartel, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and Ismael Zambada. Both are now serving time in the United States.

Sunday's statement said that in addition to Mexico's own military intelligence, the raid was carried out with "complementary information" from US authorities.

The statement added that six suspected cartel gunmen besides Oseguera were killed and three soldiers were wounded.

Two cartel suspects were arrested and a variety of weapons were seized, including rocket launchers capable of taking down airplanes and destroying armored vehicles, the statement said.

As gunmen blocked roads with retaliatory violence, Jalisco state, which is scheduled to host four World Cup games this summer, cancelled all events involving large crowds on Sunday and in-person classes on Monday