VILLA PURIFICACION (MEXICO) (AFP) -
Mexican authorities searched Saturday for three missing soldiers after gunmen brought down their helicopter in a field during an counternarcotics cartel operation that sparked mayhem in Jalisco state.
Three other soldiers were killed while 10 troops and two federal police officers were injured Friday when the assailants hit the Cougar helicopter's tail rotor, forcing an emergency landing.
The attack came on a day of violence across the western state that authorities say was launched by the Jalisco New Generation Drug Cartel in a bid to thwart a military and police operation against the gang.
Jalisco has emerged in recent months as a new challenge in President Enrique Pena Nieto's battle to contain drug violence in Mexico.
The New Generation cartel, led by Nemesio Oseguera, alias "El Mencho," has violently defied authorities, killing 20 police officers in two ambushes in March and April. It has forged alliances with gangs around the globe.
A total of seven people died in Friday's violence, which included roadblocks with torched vehicles in several towns, arson attacks against banks and gasoline stations, and shootouts in four locations.
Authorities detained 19 people.
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http://www.france24.com/en/20150502-mexico-seeks-missing-troops-after-chopper-downed
