Six suspected criminals and a military officer were killed during a shootout Monday in western Mexico, a military source said.
Security forces were conducting surveillance patrols in the state of Michoacan when they were attacked by gunmen, the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Soldiers killed six alleged attackers and captured six others, he said, adding that one soldier had been killed and another wounded.
Local media reported the attackers were members of the Jalisco New Generation cartel, one of the most powerful and violent gangs in Mexico.
Michoacan, on the Pacific coast, has long been a hotspot for organized crime cartels, which finance themselves through drug trafficking and extortion.
Mexico has recorded more than 340,000 murders since 2006, most of which are attributed to organized crime.
The country's homicide rate has tripled since a controversial anti-drug offensive launched in December 2006 triggered a spiral of violence — from 9.6 murders per 100,000 inhabitants to 28 in 2021.
