Five police shot dead in cartel-plagued Mexican state
Police massacre in CJNG territory highlights Mexico’s spiralling cartel violence
Five Mexican police officers were shot dead and five others wounded Wednesday in violence-hit Michoacan state on the eve of the World Cup opener in Mexico City, local authorities said.
The officers were attacked by unknown assailants in an Indigenous region of the western state, which is plagued by cartel violence, the state government reported.
The pickup truck they were traveling in was riddled with bullet holes, according to images obtained by AFP.
The attack took place in the municipality of Nahuatzen, a region inhabited by the Purepecha people where the powerful Jalisco New Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) operates.
In May, the brazen murder of a small-city mayor, allegedly by the CJNG, prompted angry protests targeting symbols of the state, which many residents accused of failing to combat spiralling violence.
Michoacan's capital Morelia is situated around 300 kilometers from both Mexico City and fellow World Cup host city Guadalajara.
The state's security department said police were searching for the perpetrators of Wednesday's attack.
Mexico's government insists that there is no security threat to visiting World Cup fans.
Mexico is co-hosting the tournament with Canada and the United States.
