Two American officials killed in a car crash early Sunday in northern Mexico while returning from a countercartel operation were officers of the Central Intelligence Agency, according to people familiar with the episode, raising questions about the agency’s role in Mexico’s war against drug cartels.
The two C.I.A. officers, along with two Mexican officials, were killed when their vehicle crashed while returning from an operation led by Mexico’s armed forces to dismantle clandestine methamphetamine labs in the mountains, said the authorities in the state of Chihuahua, where the accident occurred.
The people confirming the Americans’ identity spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details of the episode.
The C.I.A. declined to comment.
President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico said on Monday that her cabinet had no prior knowledge of the activities involving the Americans in Chihuahua, which shares a border with the United States, and that there would be an investigation into whether their involvement in the operation violated Mexico’s national security laws.
“What has been agreed upon with the U.S. government — and has been very clear — is that information is shared and there is extensive joint intelligence work that allows federal forces to operate within our country’s territory and U.S. forces within theirs,” Ms. Sheinbaum said on Tuesday morning at her daily news conference.
Ms. Sheinbaum added Tuesday that the Americans were indeed “working alongside” Mexican authorities, and that if the ongoing investigation confirms that the C.I.A. officers were engaged in a joint operation, her government would send a formal reprimand to the U.S. government.
