Government deploys 1,600 troops to Sinaloa following attack on legislators

After an equipped onslaught connected 2 authorities legislators, the Defense Ministry (Sedena) has deployed 1,600 soldiers to the troubled authorities of Sinaloa which has been struggling to header with a civilian warfare betwixt rival factions of 1 of Mexico’s astir almighty cause cartels.

A car successful which Representatives Sergio Torres Félix and Elizabeth Montoya were riding was attacked by gunmen astir noon Wednesday by chartless assailants who fled the country earlier authorities arrived.

The recently deployed troops person established their beingness successful the authorities capital, portion Representatives Sergio Torres Félix and Elizabeth Montoya stay hospitalized from the attack. (José Betanzos Zárate/Cuartoscuro)

During her Thursday greeting property conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum said arrests had been made successful transportation with the attack. Then connected Friday, Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said aboriginal investigations bespeak that a sub-faction of Los Chapitos — portion of the Sinaloa Cartel — are apt liable for the attack.

Sheinbaum besides said she intends to spell up with a moving sojourn to Sinaloa successful aboriginal February arsenic planned.

The internecine warring involving the Sinaloa Cartel began successful September 2024, the period earlier Sheinbaum took office. Ending the persistent unit determination has been 1 of the apical priorities of her information strategy, but the results person been acold from encouraging. 

Among the Sedena unit connected the crushed successful Sinaloa are 90 members of the Army’s Special Forces Corps. The information forces arrived connected Thursday via 4 dense Air Force transport craft and were deployed to the authorities superior Culiacán and the coastal metropolis of Mazatlán.

The deployment of further soldiers comes little than a week aft hundreds demonstrated successful Culiacán to protestation the sidesplitting of a civilian during a botched subject operation. A 24-year-old antheral was changeable portion driving successful the authorities capital, seemingly successful a lawsuit of mistaken identity.

The presumption of the 2 Citizens Movement lawmakers remains captious but stable. 

Due to the severity of his condition, Torres has been successful intensive care, wherever helium is sedated and intubated. Following lengthy surgical procedures, Torres is said to beryllium doing good though the adjacent 72 hours volition beryllium crucial.

Montoya mislaid an oculus successful the onslaught aft being injured by shrapnel and projectiles. She underwent facial reconstruction country and is said to beryllium recovering well.

After visiting the 2 lawmakers, Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha said Torres’ captious signs are responding good to the trauma aft being changeable successful the caput and successful the torso. As for Montoya, Rocha said she was conscious and is capable to clasp a conversation.

Members of the Army, the National Guard and authorities constabulary officers are deployed astir the backstage session wherever Montoya is hospitalized, and different contingent is connected patrol astatine a focused-care infirmary wherever Torres was transferred to retrieve from the caput injury.

The information forces are besides expected to enactment successful an ongoing search-and-rescue cognition looking for 10 mining engineers kidnapped astatine a tract adjacent Concordia, astir 83 kilometers (51 miles) northeast of Mazatlán.

With reports from Infobae, La Jornada, El Financiero and El País