<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Gunmen on Wednesday killed six police officers in a northern Mexican state where rival cartels are fighting over drug trafficking routes, authorities said.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Five of the officers were shot dead while training at a sports center in Calera de Victor Rosales, the Zacatecas state government said.</div><div><br></div><div>Two more law enforcement officials were shot after arriving at the scene soon afterward, one of whom died, according to a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>Zacatecas Governor David Monreal condemned what he called a "cowardly attack" and offered his condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the victims.</div><div><br></div><div>Violence has spiked in recent years in Zacatecas, with experts citing a turf war between the Sinaloa and the Jalisco New Generation cartels for control of lucrative drug smuggling routes to the United States.</div><div><br></div><div>In January, 10 bodies were found in a sports utility vehicle abandoned in front of the governor's palace in the Zacatecas state capital.</div><div><br></div><div>Across the country, more than 340,000 people have been killed in a wave of bloodshed since the government deployed the army to fight drug cartels in 2006. - AFP </div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>