2015 San Sebastián del Oeste ambush
| 2015 San Sebastián del Oeste ambush | |||
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| Part of the Mexican Drug War | |||
State of Jalisco within Mexico
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| Date | April 6, 2015 2:50 p.m. – 3:20 p.m. (approximate) |
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| Location | San Sebastián del Oeste, Jalisco, Mexico | ||
| Caused by | Retaliation for government crackdowns | ||
| Methods | Guerrilla warfare ambush | ||
| Parties to the civil conflict | |||
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On April 6, 2015, a convoy of the Jalisco State Police was ambushed by suspected members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a criminal group based in Jalisco. The attack occurred in a mountain road in San Sebastián del Oeste, Jalisco. Fifteen policemen were killed and five were wounded; no CJNG casualties were confirmed. According to police reports, as the police convoy reached a part of the road surrounded by mountains, the CJNG opened fire at the police units from the sides using high-caliber rifles, grenade launchers, and explosives with gasoline. The element of surprise prevented the police from repelling the aggression. The CJNG members burned several vehicles along the highway to halt reinforcements. The attack lasted roughly 30 minutes. When government reinforcements reached the scene, the CJNG gunmen had left.
The ambush was one of the deadliest single-attack incidents against Mexico's security forces in the ongoing Mexican Drug War. It was also a rare display of bold attacks against law enforcement. In the past, criminal groups in Mexico tended to avoid direct confrontation with security forces. The attack also showcased the manpower and sophistication of the CJNG. The complexity of the attack showed that the CJNG had expertise in military tactics, guerrilla warfare, ambush and counter-ambush training, and in use of explosives. According to investigators, the CJNG carried out the ambush to avenge the arrests and deaths of their fallen comrades from government crackdowns.
At around 2:50 p.m. on April 6, 2015, policemen from the Fuerza Única Jalisco, an elite unit of the Jalisco State Police, drove through a mountain road in Soyatán, a rural community in San Sebastián del Oeste, Jalisco. They were driving from Puerto Vallarta to Guadalajara, the state's capital. As they were crossing through the Mascota–Las Palmas highway, a road that was covered by mountains on both sides, they were ambushed by suspected members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a criminal group based in the Jalisco. The CJNG gunmen burned several vehicles along the highway to block the road and delay the arrival of potential government reinforcements. As the police units got to a curve, the CJNG gunmen opened fire at them with machine guns and grenade launchers from the side of the mountains. The attack worsened when the CJNG gunmen threw explosives along with jugs of gasoline from strategic locations. Given the element of surprise, the policemen did not have the chance to defend themselves from the aggression. The policemen that got out of the vehicles were shot by the CJNG. Those who stayed inside them died of calcination. In total, 15 police officers were killed in the ambush. 5 more were wounded and transported by helicopter to a wounded-care zone in Puerto Vallarta before being transferred to several hospitals across the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area. Authorities reported them as being in stable condition. No casualties on the CJNG's side were confirmed because the gunmen were able to escape. The police called for reinforcements in Guadalajara. Several police units drove to the area, and a helicopter made it to the scene to provide air support. The Mexican Navy and the Mexican Federal Police then carried out a search of the surrounding areas to locate the CJNG gunmen. Investigators discovered that the assailants built an encampment in the mountains and waited for the police for as long as 48 hours.
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Wikipedia