The head of the Arizona National Guard says gunmen who prompted four troops to pull back from a border post most likely came across the soldiers by chance.
He says the gunmen may have been carrying drug money south across the border and probably weren't trying to test the troops' reaction.
Major General David Rataczak says the troops, who left their post and called in Border Patrol when they saw the gunmen on January third, did exactly what they were supposed to do. He says they prevented an international incident from occurring.
An Arizona lawmaker has suggested the gunmen were "testing our resolve."
And advocates for tougher immigration enforcement have questioned the point of having troops on the border if they can't confront such dangers.
Rataczak says the troops aren't there for law enforcement, only for support duties so immigration agents have more time to catch illegal immigrants.
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Sound: Pursuing
