Mexico’s government remains tight-lipped about an explosion that killed six Mexican Army soldiers in the western state of Michoacan. The soldiers were riding in armored personnel carriers, and the explosion is believed to have been a landmine planted by one of the cartels fighting for control of the region.
The explosion happened Tuesday afternoon near the town of Los Reyes, Michoacan, an area between the borders of that state and Jalisco that Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) and Carteles Unidos are currently fighting over. The rival groups are fighting for control of lucrative drug trafficking routes into Mexico, as well as drug production areas. Both of those cartels have been labeled as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government.
The military convoy was patrolling the various dirt roads in the region between the two states. It remains unclear if the explosion took place in the Jalisco side or the Michoacan side. The lead vehicle took the brunt of the explosion, killing six soldiers and injuring two others.
The rest of the troops radioed for help and tended to their wounded comrades. It remains unclear which cartel was responsible for the attack; however, as Breitbart Texas reported, both Carteles Unidos and CJNG have a history of using improvised explosive devices as part of their tactics. Both organizations have also used drones to drop explosives on their rivals, authorities, and even innocent civilians in the past.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
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