Mexico gang seizes marines

Three marines and a naval cadet have been kidnapped by drug gangs in Mexico as the government's war with cartels becomes increasingly bloody.

In a separate attack yesterday, gunmen attacked an army convoy, sparking a battle that left eight gangsters dead. The army laid their bodies on the road near Morelia, in Michoacan state. They were suspected members of the Caballeros Templarios (Knights Templar) cartel. No soldiers died.

The marines' capture, in Veracruz state, is in response to their part in Pre-sident Felipe Calderon's battle against drug gangs. A spokesman for the navy said it was trying to locate them.

Military personnel have been kidnapped before. In 2008, seven soldiers were decapitated and their bodies left with a note warning: "For every one of mine that you kill, I will kill 10."