Six soldiers were killed and two others were injured after an explosive device tore through their armoured vehicle in Mexico’s violence-hit Michoacan state, a military report cited by AFP said.The blast occurred late Tuesday near a small town in the western region, where drug cartels have long battled for territory. The explosion was so powerful it completely destroyed the military vehicle carrying the troops.Military aircraft and helicopters were swiftly deployed to evacuate the wounded and recover the bodies, the report said.Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the attack, calling it “deplorable,” and expressed her solidarity with the victims’ families.This area of Michoacán has seen repeated violence involving warring criminal groups, many of which are known to use improvised landmines and explosive-laden drones to target security forces. Several similar attacks have claimed the lives of soldiers in recent years.Criminal violence in Mexico, much of it driven by drug trafficking, has left an estimated 480,000 people dead since 2006. More than 120,000 people remain missing.The incident comes amid growing pressure from the United States to rein in cartel violence. US President Donald Trump previously labelled six major Mexican trafficking groups as terrorist organisations, fuelling speculation over possible future military action.