At least four soldiers were killed and nine were injured in an explosion on an army patrol in western Mexico, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said this Friday.
The ambush took place on Thursday in rural Michoacan state as the military tried to detect a criminal group, the head of state explained, on the day of the official start of the presidential election campaign on June 2. .
At a news conference, López Obrador said soldiers were inspecting a camp likely used by drug cartel members when they detonated an anti-personnel mine planted in the bush.
One soldier died immediately, and the other two died later from their wounds.
While López Obrador would not confirm which of Mexico’s warring cartels carried out the attack, the soldiers were operating in territory dominated by the Jalisco New Generation cartel.
Local press reported that the soldiers fought with cartel members and were attacked by “drones” – a weapon these drug groups are increasingly using to wage war against authorities and rivals, but Mexico’s president did not provide further details about the incident. . attack.
The deaths come as gun violence has risen in Mexico under López Obrador, with brutal killings of police and military personnel becoming commonplace.
Last week, two local candidates for the upcoming June 2 elections were shot dead in another Michoacán city, just hours from each other.
The elections could be one of the most violent in Mexican history.