In Mexico, nine people were killed in a bloody confrontation in western Mexico between a criminal gang and agents investigating a suspected kidnapping.<br />'' <br />'' The Jalisco State Prosecutor Office today said, the dead included two officers and six people believed to have been held captive in a house. Another man died on the street.<br />'' <br />'' Jalisco has been hard-hit by violence linked to organized crime, particularly the powerful Jalisco New Generation drug cartel.<br />''