Mexico, August 16: As drug-related violence continues to claim lives in Mexico, three bodyguards of a police chief have been shot dead, according to police.
Monclova police chief Juan Carlos Pacheco escaped an assassination attempt when gunmen opened fire on his vehicle.
Pacheco, who was appointed four months ago, was not hurt but three of the police officers guarding him died, said a police statement on Saturday.
Monclova in northern Coahuila state has turned to retired or active military officers for help controlling cross-border drug trafficking.
Pacheco, a retired army general, said he could not comment on who might have been behind the attack because it could undermine the investigation.
“We’ve been hit, but we also hit very hard,” he was quoted as saying by AP. “They know very well that we are determined to protect the rule of law for the citizens of Monclova.”
Drug violence has killed more than 7,700 people nationwide since the start of 2008.
—–Agencies