Nine bodies found in western Michoacan

Nine bodies were found in a remote area on the Michoacan side of the border with Jalisco on Saturday.

The men had been shot, bound and showed signs of torture. The latest victims of the turf war between rival gangs from the two states, their bodies were found at an abandoned property near the town of Buenavista Tomatlan, following an anonymous tipoff.

A sign left by the corpses identified them as members of the Knights Templar cartel from Michoacan. It was signed by members of the rival Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) and a self-defense group from the local community.

The Jalisco/Michoacan border area has experienced high levels of violence in the last year as the two gangs compete for regional supremacy, while an increasing number of vigilante groups (some allegedly backed by the CJNG) have sprung up in a bid to restore order in their communities.