10 people were killed and 18 injured in clashes between criminal gangs in a southwestern Mexican town, Mexico's federal government has said

Mexico's interior ministry issued a statement blasting what it called reprehensible acts that it said contributed to the deaths, which occurred in Tecalitlan in the state of Jalisco. Interior Minister Francisco Blake Mora contacted Jalisco Gov. Emilio Gonzalez Marquez to offer the federal government's help in improving safety and security in the town, the statement said. Federal authorities also offered help tracking down the criminals responsible. The violence came one day after federal troops gunned down an alleged drug cartel boss in the state of Michoacan, which neighbors Jalisco. The death of Nazario Moreno Gonzalez and two other Familia Michoacana members came during a joint operation involving members of Mexico's federal police, army, air force and navy. At least five federal police officers and three civilians died in that operation, officials said.