Originally published on December 5, 2013<br /><br />Ten people were killed in a gun battle between police and armed assailants in a rural area of northwestern Nicaragua near the border with Honduras on Wednesday.<br /><br />The national police said a gang of gunmen was trying to rob the Variedades Axel grocery store around 1pm. A joint patrol of police officers and soldiers were alerted, and gunfire was exchanged. <br /><br />Six assailants and four policemen were killed. Three of the deceased officers were volunteers. Two people, an assailant and a police officer, were injured. <br /><br />Violent incidents are rare in Nicaragua, as the country has one of the lowest crime rates in Central America. <br /><br />Local officials reportedly gave a contradictory account of the event. They say the assailants were not robbers, but part of an anti-government group. <br /><br />The area where the gunshot happened was once a stronghold for the Contras, a U.S.-backed rebel group that fought to overthrow then-President Daniel Ortega in the 1908s. Ortega, 68, returned to power six years ago and is now trying to change the constitution to remove a ban on consecutive presidential terms. <br /> <br />--------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />TomoNews is your daily source for top animated news. We've combined animation and video footage with a snarky personality to bring you the biggest and best stories from around the world.<br /><br />For news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel:<br />https://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS<br /><br />Subscribe to stay updated on all the top stories:<br />http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=TomoNewsUS<br /><br />Stay connected with us here:<br />Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS<br />Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS<br />Google+ http://gplus.to/TomoNewsUS
