Jalisco: Search continues for three soldiers missing from gunned down military helicopter

Lucio R. Borderland Beat

On Friday when a military helicopter was disabled by CJNG gunman and forcing “an emergency landing” (or crash) three military soldiers were “unaccounted” for in the aftermath.  Since then the search by land and air commenced but has been unsuccessful.

The spokesman for the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) reported that air and ground patrols continue the search in the area when the aircraft went down, in the municipality of Villa Purificación adjacent to the Casimiro Castillo-Villa Purificación Highway.

Further details, have been shrouded carefully by the feds.

However, they did explain that Just prior to the incident, the Cougar helicopter spotted a convoy of vehicles and began shadowing it under reconnaissance.

Residents report there was a convoy of about 12 vehicles filled with armed men, who at some point realized they were being tailed, and opened fire at the aircraft, with men exiting the vehicles to attack the helicopter.  Most of the gunfire was seemingly aimed at the back of the aircraft and successfully impacted the tail and the rear rotor.

The convoy reacted in an organized manor, fully prepared, without hesitancy to initiate the preemptive strike when bringing down the aircraft.

In the balance, 3 soldiers were killed at the site, 10 injured, 2 state police injured, and 3 soldiers taken by CJNG convoy members.  It was not reported by authorities who the elements were on the Cougar, or if any were military officers.  There have been reports that the aircraft did have passengers that were military officers.

Noteworthy is that the authorities refused to say the 3 soldiers were abducted, because “they have no proof of that”, they are more comfortable to say “accounted for” or “missing”.  Nor will they say how the soldiers accounted for, were killed and injured. 

In speculating as to why the cartel would take 3 military personnel, if they were in fact taken, it is feasible that they were taken to extract intelligence from the soldiers, especially if they are high ranking or officers.  But that is purely conjecture on my part.

It doesn't make sense that they would abduct 3 soldiers for the purpose of killing them, that could have been done at the scene and only 3 were killed of the 18 were dead at the crash site.

The rumor mill had El Mencho in either Autlán, or Tonaya, both near the crash site, that was never confirmed by authorities but neither was the fact that he was not captured, or slipped away as he did in 2012.  

At that time he was able to escape because of considerable amount of narco blockades raised, much like those of Friday.

to enlarge click on either image