MEXICO CITY (AP) — Government crime statistics show May was Mexico's bloodiest month in at least 20 years, and homicides are up sharply in 2017 compared with last year.

Statistics published Tuesday by the Interior Department say 2,186 people were murdered last month. The previous monthly high was 2,131 in May 2011, according to a review of publicly available records that date back to 1997.

During the first five months of 2017, there were 9,916 murders nationwide. That's an increase of about 30 percent over the 7,638 slain during the same period last year.

Mexico launched a militarized offensive over a decade ago to combat drug cartels that plague parts of the country. Murders fell somewhat after peaking in 2011 but have risen again.