Gunmen have wounded a Mexican federal congressman and killed his driver in an ambush outside Mexico's border city of Nuevo Laredo.
Police offered no immediate information on a possible motive for Monday's attack, which came just a day after the Mexican government announced a renewed crackdown on drug crime in the area.
Horacio Garza of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party suffered bullet wounds to his neck, leg, and arm. His driver died at the scene.
Speaking in Mexico City on Monday, President Felipe Calderon said more than 3,000 additional troops are on their way to the states of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas, which border the U.S. state of Texas.
Included in this area are the towns of Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros, which have seen numerous killings and shootouts between drug smuggling gangs.
The troops will continue the crackdown on crime that President Calderon began shortly after taking office in December. Mr. Calderon said his administration, together with the Mexican military, will fight the nation's enemies throughout the country and defeat them.
The Mexican leader also announced a salary increase for the armed forces and hailed their efforts in the fight against organized crime.
