Mexico's government has pledged to take control of a violent western state after days of fighting between masked vigilantes and members of one of the country's most powerful drug cartels Vigilante groups in the state of Michoacan have moved deeper into territory controlled by the Knights Templar cartel Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong urged the vigilante groups to withdraw from the battleground so federal forces could take control The government appeared to tolerate the so-called self-defense groups, apparently in the hope they could oust the cartel and help restore order In the heat of the battle, there can be moments of tenderness. And even in one region of Western Mexico, a vigilante takes a break from the battle to 'free' his town to spend a moment with his girlfriend. Firefights between vigilante groups and drug traffickers erupted over the weekend, but now federal forces will take over security in a large swath of a western Mexico state. Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said federal forces with support from Michoacan state police will patrol an area in the state known as Tierra Caliente, the home base of the Knights Templar drug cartel. 'Be certain we will contain the violence in Michoacan,' Osorio Chong said. Is that a gun in your pocket? A man belonging to the Self-Defense Council of Michoacan, kisses a woman in the main square of the town of Nueva Italia Masked Mexican: A member of the citizens' Self-Protection Police guards at the Municipal Palace of Nueva Italia community in Michoacan State. Checkpoint: Men belonging to the Self-Defense Council of Michoacan, (CAM), inspect vehicles at a checkpoint in the entrance to the town of Nueva Italia On the lookout: Last weekend the self-defenses encountered resistance as they tried to rid the town of the Knights Templar drug cartel while the government announced federal forces will take over security in a large swath of a western Mexico He gave no details on what federal agencies would be involved or give numbers on planned forces. Some federal police and troops have been sent to the region in recent months because of the unrest, but have generally not intervened. The federal Attorney General's Office said later in a statement it had sent 11 helicopters and 70 federal investigators and officers to help return law and order to the state. Osorio Chong made his announcement after a meeting called by Michoacan state Gov. Fausto Vallejo following a weekend of firefights between drug traffickers and some of the vigilante groups that have sprung up by the dozens over the past year to confront the gangs. Congressman Ernesto Nunez of the Green Party, who was at the meeting in the state capital of Morelia, said the federal government is looking to have members of the self-defense groups join police departments. Covered: A self-defense group take their stations in a fleet of trucks in the village of Las Yeguas, Mihoacan state, Mexico on Saturday 'Those who they see really have the (police) vocation, those who really love their communities, will be invited to join the police,' Nunez said. Estanislao Beltran, a leader of a vigilante group, rejected the idea of giving up their guns or becoming police officers. 'If we give up our weapons without any of the drug cartel leaders having been detained, we are putting our families in danger because they will come and kill everyone, including the dogs,' Beltran said. He said none of the members of the vigilante groups aspire to be police officers. 'What we are doing is fighting for the freedom of our families,' he said. No clashes were reported in the Tierra Caliente region Monday, but almost every store was closed in Apatzingan, the biggest city in the area. There were few people on the street and little police presence. Shopkeepers said they were afraid to open after gunmen believed to be working for the Knights Templar cartel threw firebombs at several of the city's businesses and city hall over the weekend. In formation: Self-Defense Council fighters enter the man plaza of the town of Nueva Italia on Sunday Battle ready: A self-defense group member stands at the ready in the town of Antunez on Saturday A report circulated among worried townspeople that the cartel had threatened to burn down the city of 100,000 people, said Javier Cortes, spokesman for the diocese of Apatzingan. 'They are saying they want to leave Apatzingan in ashes,' Cortes said. This will end when the self-defense groups enter the city. On Sunday, hundreds of members of one vigilante group entered another town, Nueva Italia, and disarmed the local police as part of what they said is a campaign to free communities from the control of the Knights Templar cartel. Shooting broke out almost immediately in and around the town square. Only one injury was reported. Opponents and critics contend the vigilantes are backed by a rival cartel. The groups deny that. Osorio Chong said federal authorities will go after anyone acting outside the law and called on self-defense group members to return to their villages. Shocked: A man fighting with the Self-Defense Council of Michoacan is taken aback by the violence. On the right, a man belonging to a self-defense group stands armed near a checkpoint in Antunez Get low: A self-defense Council fighter takes cover during a fight in Nueva Italia on Sunday as the group tries to flish out members of the Knights Templar drug cartel Security: Self-defense Council fighters pat down municipal policemen in Nueva Italia on Sunday Under cover: Self-Defense Council fighters take cover near a carnival ride in the town of Nueva Italia on Sunday Break: In the midst of the weekend fight, a Self-Defense Council member smokes a cigarette in the town of Nueva Italia The federal government has said the civilian vigilante groups are operating outside the law. They carry high-caliber weapons that Mexico only allows for military use. But government forces have not moved against the groups and in some cases have appeared to be working in concert with the vigilantes. Rumors circulate that some self-defense groups have been infiltrated by the New Generation cartel, which is reportedly fighting a turf war with the Knights Templar in Michoacan, a rich farming state that is a major producer of limes, avocados and mangos.