Four municipal police officers from Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico, were killed late Wednesday in an ambush-style attack.

Authorities confirmed the incident on Thursday, January 25, 2024, revealing that the attack took place on a rural road near the city, in a region infamous for its tumultuous security situation.

The identities of the slain officers, all members of the Celaya municipal police force, have not been disclosed. 

The assailants are currently unidentified. The city of Celaya, situated in the north-central state of Guanajuato, has been a longstanding battleground for violence and is notorious as one of the most violent cities in Mexico, mainly due to conflicts involving the Santa Rosa de Lima gang and the Jalisco drug cartel. Guanajuato itself is beleaguered with the highest homicide rate in the country, exemplifying the severe and widespread nature of the violence plaguing the region.

In 2023, Guanajuato witnessed the deaths of nearly 60 police officers. This figure, representing a substantial portion of the 412 police officers killed nationwide in 2023, highlights the perilous conditions in which law enforcement operates in the state. 

The national figure also marks about a 2% increase in police fatalities compared to the previous year, illustrating a worrying trend across Mexico.

In a separate yet similarly disturbing incident, authorities in Guerrero, a southern state, found two state detectives’ bullet-ridden bodies on the outskirts of Taxco, a town renowned for its colonial charm and tourist appeal. This incident adds to the series of violent acts that continue to unsettle various regions across Mexico.

The escalating violence in states like Guanajuato is primarily attributed to the activities of criminal gangs and drug cartels, often locked in deadly disputes over drug trafficking routes. In 2023, the state reported over 3,000 homicides, a staggering number that underscores the severity of its security crisis.

This endemic violence in Mexico traces back to the federal government’s controversial military offensive against drug cartels initiated in December 2006. Since then, the nation has been caught in a vortex of drug-related violence, resulting in over 420,000 murders, as per official figures.