(CNN) -- Eight people, including one soldier, died on Monday in clashes between the military and suspected drug cartel members in Mexico's eastern state of Veracruz, Salvador Mikel Rivera, the area's attorney general, told CNN.
He said one civilian also died in the violence, which appears to be the latest in the ongoing war in Mexico between the state and powerful drug cartels.
Five people were injured in the clashes that started Sunday night and ran into Monday morning, Rivera said.
More than 28,000 people have died in drug-related violence since Mexican President Felipe Calderon intensified the government's fight against drug cartels and organized crime after taking office in December 2006, according to government figures.
Separately on Monday, officials said about 3,200 federal police in Mexico have been fired since May for failing to do their work or being linked to corruption. CNN
