EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Five soldiers are dead and two injured by gunfire following a series of attacks by armed civilians late Sunday along the Jalisco-Michoacan border in western Mexico.
Hijacking of vehicles that were set on fire along highways preceded the attacks. Local news reports attribute the violence to members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG. Videos shared online by Mexican news outlets show masked men firing automatic weapons at unseen targets from behind parked vehicles.
“Because of the attacks […] vehicles were set on fire in different portions of the region,” the mayor of La Piedad, Michoacan, Samuel Hidalgo said Sunday on social media. “Public safety agencies are working to maintain order. Take your precautions in the area!”
He tweeted a photo of firefighters trying to put out a trailer on fire.
One attack took place around 6 p.m. on a highway between the towns of La Piedad and Zamora, Michoacan. Someone placed metal spikes on the road, puncturing the tires of a Mexican Army vehicle caravan; soldiers came under fire as they repaired their vehicles, according to local news reports.
Three soldiers were killed and two wounded.
Across the state line, a National Guard patrol came under gunfire in La Barca, Jalisco; two Guard members were killed.
“Following this aggression against members of the Mexican Army and Mexican National Guard in (Michoacan) and Jalisco, with a tally of five officers killed and two injured, the Civil Guard deployed in Zamora, La Piedad and Jiquilpan to locate those responsible,” the Michoacan Public Safety Secretary said on X.
Mexican news media reported several additional shootouts in the region.
Reputable Mexican news portal Aristegui Noticias said the National Guard attributed the attacks to a CJNG lieutenant.