Mexico's war on drugs: Moment THREE cartels ambush the military who fight back in a hail of bullets

A soldier's body cam recorded the dramatic moment the Mexican military came under attack from multiple cartels in western Mexico.

Members of the army and National Guard were on a patrol mission of the Michoacán city of Aguililla on Friday when they were met with fire from members of the United Cartels.

The military arrested at least five cartel members following the gun battle which left at least one soldier injured. 

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Mexican military respond to fire from the United Cartels during an ambush in Michoacán on Friday which left one soldier injured. At least five members of the cartels were arrested

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A soldier carries a serviceman on his shoulder to a military helicopter before the wounded troop member was airlifted to a hospital for treatment 

One of the videos shared on social media showed a soldier standing on the flat bed of a military vehicle while he fired multiple rounds at the cartel fighters. At least three other troop members stood alongside him on the ground firing away. 

A group of soldiers in the background can be seen seeking cover behind a National Guard pickup truck shooting at the cartel.

A second video showed a helicopter landing on an open field before a Mexican soldier placed a wounded military man on his shoulder and carried him to the aircraft.

The injured soldier, who was shot in the left arm according to local media outlets, was taken to a hospital. 

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Mexican military helicopter lands in Aguililla, Mexico, to airlift a wounded soldier following Friday's gun battle with the United Cartels - a collective of criminal organizations, including the Gulf Cartel, Los Zetas and the Sinaloa Cartel, which banded together to assist the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel in its ongoing battle with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel

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A wounded soldier waits to be taken to a hospital in Michoacán, Mexico

United Cartels formed in October 2019 in response to the ongoing battle the Jalisco New Generation Cartel has been involved with the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel, which then sought and received the military-like backing from the Gulf Cartel, Los Zetas and the Sinaloa Cartel.

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is known to have a presence in 24 of 32 states in Mexico and reportedly controls at least two-thirds of the drug market in the United States.

The Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel reportedly ordered an attack on a drug rehabilitation center July 1 which left 27 people dead, including 26 patients.

Since December 2006, more than 250,000 people have died as a result of the Mexican government's war on cartels which was launched by then president Felipe Calderón and at times criticized by the current leftist leader, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.