ALABAMA - Violence in Mexico's northern state of Sinaloa has been spiraling for weeks now due to ongoing turf wars between "Los Chapitos," who answer to Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, and "La Mayiza," a faction loyal to co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.
Clashes between both Sinaloa Cartel factions have led to more than 110 deaths in the state, including members of criminal groups, civilians and now even members of Mexico's armed forces. As outgoing president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) made his final appearances before being officially replaced by Claudia Sheinbaum on Oct. 1, he said that during his visit to Sinaloa on Sept. 27, he felt "hurt" when he learned that criminal groups were responsible for the death of three members of the Mexican Army.
López Obrador told media that, as troops were sent to avoid further escalations between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, a group ambushed and attacked them, leaving three members dead.
"We were in Sinaloa, and it hurt me a lot when they informed us that they attacked a group of military members, killing three of them. It hurt me a lot because they were there fulfilling their duty," López Obrador said.
According to the now former Mexican president, guaranteeing national sovereignty as well as providing security inside Mexico's borders are some of the missions intended for the country's armed forces.
However, Jesús Leana Ojeda, commander of the Tercera Región Militar, a military region located in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, said that peace and security in the region was a decision solely up to criminal groups.
"Depends on them, they are the ones that are conducting the assaults, they are the ones killing people, we are not. On the contrary, we are here to avoid confrontations between them," Ojeda said.
Since the situation erupted on Sept. 9, clashes between "Los Chapitos" and "La Mayiza" have resulted in 132 reported deaths. The clashes have also caused the deaths of 20 civilians, while authorities have arrested 50 individuals.
One of the cases of civilian deaths involve the passing of a man known as Juan Carlos, which Mexico's Attorney General's Office is currently investigating, as he could have been a victim from an attack made by Mexico's armed forces.
On Sept. 21, a special operation conducted by the army yielded the death of three civilians as they searched for an individual dubbed as "El 27," a man linked to the "Los Chapitos" faction.
While talking at a press conference, Sinaloa's Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya said that agents were able to secure the building but Juan Carlos' death was "collateral damage" from the operation.
The turf wars between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel has also spilled over to other states in northern Mexico, including Sonora, Baja California, Chihuahua, Zacatecas and Durango.
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