Summary The helicopter attack was near the town of Autlan
GUADALAJARA (AFP) - Gunmen forced down a military helicopter in western Mexico on Friday killing three troops, as deadly violence erupted across Jalisco state during a new operation to capture drug cartel leaders.
Seven people were killed across Jalisco, including the three soldiers, two gang suspects, a state police officer and a civilian, the local government said, and more than a dozen wounded.
Vehicles were set on fire or used as roadblocks at 29 points in the state, including the Pacific resort of Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, Mexico s second biggest city, where residents were told to stay indoors.
Banks and gasoline stations were torched and 15 people were detained as violence flared on the day that the military and federal police launched Operation Jalisco to crack down on the Jalisco New Generation Drug Cartel.
The Cougar military helicopter was taking part in the operation when it spotted carloads of gunmen on a road between the towns of Casimiro Castillo and Villa Purificacion, the defense ministry said.
The gunmen shot at the helicopter, forcing it to make an emergency landing, the ministry said in a statement. Ten soldiers and two federal police officers were injured.
Another three soldiers on the helicopter were missing.
President Enrique Pena Nieto said in brief remarks to reporters that the operation was "for the security of Jalisco, in combat against a highly dangerous criminal organization."
Officials say the New Generation cartel, led by Nemesio Oseguera, alias "El Mencho," has grown so powerful that it has produced its own assault rifles in makeshift gun assembly shops and has forged ties with gangs worldwide.
"This (violence) is a reaction to an operation to detain leaders of this cartel," Governor Aristoteles Sandoval told reporters, without identifying the gang by its name.
- Dont go out -
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The helicopter attack was near the town of Autlan, where a state police officer died in a clash with gang suspects.
The New Generation cartel has violently defied the authorities this year, killing 20 police officers in two ambushes in March and April.
Starting in the morning, buses and trucks were torched in at least a dozen streets of Guadalajara and several other Jalisco locations. The fires were put out hours later.
Such tactics have been used by gangs in Mexico to try to thwart police and military operations.
Authorities urged residents of Guadalajara to stay indoors. No shootouts were reported in the city, according to the state government.
"Remain calm. If you have any reason to leave your house, don t go out," the Jalisco state prosecutor s office said on Twitter.
The US consulate issued a security message advising its employees "to remain in their homes until the situation is resolved."
Roadblocks were also reported in the resort town of Puerto Vallarta and the neighboring state of Colima, the consulate said.
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The New Generation is a rising power of Mexico s underworld that had been overshadowed by other groups such as the Sinaloa, Zetas, Gulf and Knights Templar cartels.
The gang has even recruited military deserters, including foreign ones, security officials say.
The cartel has drawn the attention of the US government, which has funded Mexico s battle against drug cartels by providing equipment, training and intelligence.
Last month, the US Treasury Department slapped financial sanctions against the New Generation and its shadowy boss, Oseguera, as well as its allies, the Los Cuinis cartel.
