A Mexican soldier stands guard in front of the border wall with the United States, outside of a sports centre used as a temporary shelter used for migrants in Tijuana, Mexico, November 21, 2018.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that Mexican soldiers "recently pulled guns" on American troops near the southern border, and accused the soldiers of "probably" doing so as a diversionary tactic for drug smugglers.

"Better not happen again! We are now sending ARMED SOLDIERS to the Border," Trump wrote in a post on Twitter. "Mexico is not doing nearly enough in apprehending & returning!"

The confrontation between Mexican soldiers and U.S. troops happened April 13 on American territory. It was first made public by Newsweek, which reported that Mexican soldiers detained and searched the Americans briefly at gunpoint, thinking they were still in Mexico after mistakenly crossing into the United States.

In a press release issued Wednesday, Mexico's foreign affairs ministry wrote that the incident was not out of the ordinary. Both governments, it said, were in contact throughout the situation.

Trump tweet

"After a brief discussion between the soldiers from the two nations, the Mexican military members departed the area," a spokesperson for the Pentagon told the outlet. "The U.S. soldiers immediately contacted CBP, who responded quickly. Throughout the incident, the U.S. soldiers followed all established procedures and protocols."