Meanwhile, in neighboring Guerrero state, armed men confronted soldiers and the ensuing gun battle left 15 people dead, including one soldier. “For us, it is very important for there to be well-being, that peace with justice can be achieved … and also avoiding that authorities mix with crime.” “We are going to continue with our strategy,” Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday. Lopez Obrador called the attack “regrettable,” but said he remains committed to his security approach emphasizing tackling underlying social problems, even though national homicide figures have been setting all-time highs. Nine officers were also wounded in the worst attack on Mexican law enforcement in years.Īccording to reports, the attackers claimed to be from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a new group that is seeking to replace the Sinaloa cartel of Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, who is now serving a life sentence in the US. More than 30 suspected cartel gunmen waylaid the police officers in the town of El Aguaje on Monday as they were traveling in a convoy to serve a warrant. “Like sheep to the slaughter!” some shouted at Gov Silvano Aureoles. Only eight coffins were present – mourners said the five other families refused to participate because they were so angry their sons and brothers had been sent on the mission. The man and other relatives refused to give their names for fear of reprisals in this western Mexico state where violence blamed on drug gangs has jumped in recent months.Ī memorial service later in the day was an angry, raw-nerved affair.

The government of former President Enrique Peña Nieto launched a process to disarm and legalize the vigilante groups and incorporate them into official security forces.“And those responsible for this, they are also here,” the brother said just as the Michoacan state police chief and his top brass got out of their cars. But some of the self-defense or vigilante groups later became infiltrated by cartels and gangs. They said they took up arms to defend themselves from kidnappings, extortion and killings by cartels. In 2013, civilian groups faced with what they said was state inaction armed themselves in Michoacan to fight the Knights Templar cartel, one of whose bases was Aguililla. Later, an area roughly 45 miles (70 kilometers) north of Aguililla was the scene of fierce clashes between members of Jalisco New Generation and regional self-defense groups. In August, police found 19 bodies in the town of Uruapan, including nine hung from a bridge.

Michoacan, an important avocado-growing state, has recently has seen a spike in violence that has brought back memories of the bloodiest days of Mexico's war on drug cartels between 20. After the attack, the area in western Mexico's so-called 'hot lands' was reinforced by federal and state security forces, which set up checkpoints to hunt for the assailants.

Cartel video ambush police