At least six Mexican soldiers were killed when a homemade explosive detonated on a roadway at the Michoacán-Jalisco border—territory controlled by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), according to one of Mexico's top newspapers.
El Universal reported that the incident occurred as Mexican troops were conducting an operation to dismantle CJNG operations and a training center in Santa María del Oro, located in eastern Michoacán near the Jalisco border.
Sources said at least one cartel member was armed with a "Minigun machine gun at that location, along with an arsenal and hitmen."
The report from El Universal continued:
"Sources told El Universal that an operation entered that area through the neighboring municipality of Jilotlán, reaching Santa María del Oro, where they clashed with the criminal cells. But as the military convoy was traveling through a gap, the criminal group detonated an explosive."
And noted:
"Six Texas aircraft and four helicopters were dispatched to the scene to provide support to the ground force."
Alleged image from the incident area:
Sin perdon, ni olvido!, QEPD, Seis Elementos de las Fuerzas Especiales de Reacción e Intervención FERI del Ejercito Mexicano murieron y dos resultaron heridos, por la explosión de una mina cuando circulaban en un Sand Cat blindado en la comunidad de El Santuario de Los Reyes,… pic.twitter.com/M4CEp8stQJ
— Blog del Narco México (@blogdelnarcomex) May 28, 2025
There has been no official clarification from U.S. authorities regarding the newspaper's mention of "six Texas aircraft and four helicopters." However, as previously reported, the U.S. has deployed signals reconnaissance aircraft and drones across Mexico—likely in preparation for operations like this one, aimed at disrupting the command-and-control structures of major drug cartels.
