The mayor of a town in one of Mexico's most troubled states was shot dead on Thursday near a soccer field just weeks after the government sent the armed forces to restore order in the area, authorities said.

Federal authorities and officials in the western state of Michoacan condemned the killing of Cesar Arturo Valencia Caballero, mayor of Aguililla. The Mexican media said the municipality had fallen under the control of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) before the army moved in last month.