Gunmen attack soldiers guarding Guatemalan president near Mexican border, 1 injured

Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei had a narrow escape after gunmen opened fire on soldiers guarding the leader at a town near the Mexican border. One of the guards is said to be injured.

The brazen attack took place on Saturday when military officials spotted a vehicle approaching the checkpoint that was being guarded during a visit by Giammattei to northwestern.

The occupants of the carlaunched the assault on the soldiers, who then retaliated. Giammattei was about twokilometres (a mile) away from the site at the time.

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"We inform the people of Guatemala and the international community that the president is unharmed and was evacuated from the area in a timely manner," a government statement said, reports Reuters.

One of the gunmen suffered minor injuries during the confrontation. He was shot in the legs during the incident and was taken for medical treatment. He is a Mexican, the statement said.

While the others escaped in their car towards the Mexican border about 80 km (50 miles) away, it said.

According to reports, the area where the encounter took place is frequented by human traffickers and drug smugglers, many of whom work for Mexican gangs.

“Personnel of the Guatemalan army halted a vehicle that approached their location. But the occupants of the vehicle, upon seeing the presence of the military personnel, started firing, to which the soldiers responded, leaving one person wounded while the rest of the occupants of the vehicle escaped in the direction of Mexico,” Rubén Téllez, a spokesman for the Guatemalan army, told AP news agency.

(With inputs from agencies)

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