Armed assailants shot dead Navy Vice Admiral Carlos Miguel Salazar Ramonet and an officer escorting him on Sunday, when their vehicle was ambushed on a dirt road near the town of Churintzio, Michoacán. Two other people were injured in the shooting in an area where a fight between rival drug cartels has caused a new outburst of violence.
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According to a statement by the Mexican navy, the attack came after demonstrators, believed to have been hired by the gunmen, forced Salazar Ramonet's car to divert from a major highway running between the state capital of Michoacán and Jalisco State capital Guadalajara.
Gunmen then opened fire on the car, killing the admiral and his bodyguard, Ricardo Francisco Hernández Mercado. The admiral's wife and his driver were injured.
Helicopters of the army, navy and federal police, and more than 200 security officers and emergency workers, gathered at the scene after the shooting. Officials said forces searching the area found an abandoned car suspected of being used by the gunmen, and three suspects were taken into custody.
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Navy officials would not confirm whether Salazar Ramonet was on duty Sunday. Marines are known to carry out operations in Michoacán, but in a smaller capacity than the federal police and army.
The navy is considered the most successful Mexican force in the drug war, landing a number of well-publicized triumphs against Mexico's powerful drug cartels, including the arrest two weeks ago of leader of the Zetas drug cartel, Miguel Angel Treviño Morales.
However, the fight in Michoacán is heating up and proving to be President Enrique Peña Nieto's main security challenge.
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Since Tuesday, gunmen apparently working for the Knights Templar cartel have been staging a series of attacks on federal police convoys, killing at least four officers and wounding five others. The death toll from the clashes also included 20 gunmen. Authorities said gunmen have hijacked trucks and buses to block highways before making their attacks.
The area has also seen a surge of armed vigilante groups formed by local residents, who claim authorities are failing to stop the gang violence and extortion in the area.
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Michoacán is one of the poorest states of Mexico and is home to traditional drug routes. It is also a major hub for the production of methamphetamine in the country.
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