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(CNN) - Authorities in the state of Guerrero in Mexico condemned an ambush that left at least six state policemen dead and another five wounded, calling the attack in the municipality of Tetipac a "coward," according to a statement released Sunday by the local government.
Police were carrying out "crime prevention actions in this area of the state, when armed civilians attacked the uniformed," the statement said, adding that large-caliber weapons were used in the attack on officers.
The preliminary investigation appears to involve a criminal group led by Roberto Carlos "Z", although no name or affiliation to the cartel is given in the statement.
Deadly violence in Mexico continues unabated despite almost three months of confinement security measures in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
In early May, the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, ordered the Armed Forces to return to the streets to help combat the worsening of crime in the country, pushing back its strategy of "hugs, not bullets" and the promise to combat the root cause of violence: economic insecurity.