Mexican army says troops attacked before clash with townsmen

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A day after residents in a Mexican town dominated by a drug cartel claimed soldiers fired on a protest and wounded several people, the army says its troops were attacked. The Defense Department said Sunday that army patrols around the town and some villages in the western state of Michoacan were attacked the previous day four times with explosives, homemade armored cars and gunfire that wounded 10 soldiers. The army accuses the townspeople of acting as the “social base” of the Jalisco drug cartel, which has been trying to make inroads into Michoacan while battling local gangs. Soldiers say they detained nine cartel suspects, rifles and Jalisco cartel tactical gear.