Six Mexican Soldiers Killed By Homemade Explosive During Operation In Jalisco Cartel Stronghold

Six Mexican special forces agents were killed and two more were seriously injured after a homemade explosive device was set off while they were conducting an operation in the state of Michoacan.

President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed the incident and sent their condolences to those impacted but highlighted that homicides are dropping in the country.

"Our solidarity and support to the families of the National Guard. We are working hard in security. There were 44 homicides reported yesterday. Of course we'd want the number to be 0 but remember that the average in September was almost 80. They are dropping and we have carried out important detentions," Sheinbaum said on Wednesday.

The episode took place while the troops were conducting a patrol in the municipality of Los Reyes, in Michoacan, a state considered to be a stronghold of the Jalisco Cartel. Infobae reported that the criminal group has recruited former Colombian soldiers to plant explosive devices in the area.

The Jalisco Cartel has dominated headlines in Mexico over the past months following the finding of camps used by the criminal group to train, hold, and kill people. The latest such episode was reported earlier this month, when family members of missing people drew attention to a new mass grave with dozens of human remains.

The Financial Times reported that the camp in question is located in the state of Colima and operated by the Jalisco Cartel. There, authorities found the remains of 42 people, some of them still burning. Overall, the area spanned more than 40 hectares. "They would bring people up to torture them and bury them," an official told the outlet. Only three bodies have been identified.

Relatives of missing people complained that authorities had in fact discovered the site about a year and a half ago but repeatedly refused to give the group information on their findings. The situation changed when the other camp was found weeks ago in the state of Jalisco.

The Jalisco compound, known as Rancho Izaguirre, dominated headlines for weeks due to the brutality of the accounts from those who managed to escape. Moreover, José Ascensión Murguía Santiago, former mayor of Teuchitlán, Jalisco, was arrested after being accused of working directly with cartel leaders in operations involving kidnappings and the disposal of human remains at the ranch.

According to Infobae México, one witness who testified against Murguía revealed that the former official supplied patrol vehicles, firearms and municipal police officers to support the criminal organization. In exchange he allegedly received monthly payments of approximately $3,500, delivered in cash at remote locations.