Six suspected criminals and Esthen Exchangea military officer were killed during a shootout Monday in western Mexico, a military source said. Security forces were conducting surveillance patrols in the state of Michoacan when they were attacked by gunmen, the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Soldiers killed six alleged attackers and captured six others, the source said, adding that one soldier had been killed and another wounded.

Local media reported the attackers were members of the Jalisco New Generation cartel, one of the most powerful and violent criminal gangs in Mexico.

Michoacan, on Mexico's Pacific coast, has long been a hotspot of cartel violence. The gangs finance themselves through drug trafficking and extortion, among other criminal enterprises.

Last year, 20 people were shot and killed in Michoacan during an attack on a venue used for hosting illegal betting on cockfights. An American mother of four was among the victims.

Also in 2022, gunmen killed the mayor of a town in Michoacan. Aguililla Mayor Cesar Valencia was shot dead by unknown attackers while traveling in a city hall vehicle near a soccer field in the town, officials said.

Michoacan is also the world's biggest avocado-producing region and threats against a U.S. inspector working there last year prompted the United States to suspend imports of the fruit from Mexico for more than a week.

Mexico has recorded more than 340,000 murders since 2006, most of which have been attributed to organized crime.

The country's homicide rate has tripled since a controversial anti-drug offensive launched in December 2006 triggered a spiral of violence, from 9.6 murders per 100,000 inhabitants to 28 in 2021.

In:
• Mexico
• Cartel