Dozens killed in attack on federal police in central Mexico

Mexico's prestigious daily Reforma cited the Federal Police as saying there were as many as 43 deaths, including 42 civilians and one agent. The morning attack took place along a stretch of highway near the community of Tinaja de Vargas, on the border with neighboring Jalisco state, in the Vista Hermosa region. Both Michoacan and Jalisco have been rocked by drug cartel violence lately, Xinhua reports. Members of the government security cabinet, headed by the Interior Ministry, traveled to the site of the attack to assess the situation, the government sources said. A more complete report is expected later in the day. Local media reported that the attack was launched by Jalisco's New Generation cartel, while some social networking sites blamed it on a different criminal organization. The Jalisco state prosecutors' office said via Twitter that it had reinforced police presence along the border with Michoacan. In an interview with Radio Formula news agency, Jose Ignacio Cuevas, mayor of Tanhuato, declined to provide a death toll until an official report was released. Tanhuato has been the site of violent clashes since 2014 due to turf wars between Jalisco's New Generation and the Michoacan-based Knights Templar cartel.