Intecap
Cubasol
MuniGuate
Realidad Turística
AVA Resorts
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
blackanddecker
INTERFER
Walmart
Herbalife
INOR
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
MITM Events
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
Barceló Solymar
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
Los Portales
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
CUN-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Agexport
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
Nestle

El Salvador: Thousands of Troops Surround City in Gang Crackdown

Date:

Share:

Servicios Médicos Cubanos
blackanddecker
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
Nestle
INOR
Herbalife
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
INTERFER
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
MITM Events
AVA Resorts
Intecap
Los Portales
Realidad Turística

Around 10,000 troops have surrounded the city of Soyapango in El Salvador as part of a massive crackdown on gangs, President Nayib Bukele has announced.

All roads leading to the city have been blocked, and special forces have been searching houses for gang members.

Officers have also been stopping everyone attempting to leave the city and checking identity papers.

The operation is part of a massive crackdown on gangs after a surge in violence earlier this year.

The justice minister said 12 people had been arrested so far.

Soyapango is one of El Salvador’s largest cities and is home to more than 290,000 people. The city – which sits just 13 km (8 miles) west of the capital San Salvador – has long been known as a hub for gang activity.

“As of this moment, the municipality of Soyapango is totally surrounded,” President Bukele wrote on Twitter. “Extraction teams from the police and the army are tasked with extricating all the gang members still there one by one.”

He added that ordinary people “have nothing to fear” and said that the crackdown was part of “an operation against criminals, not against honest citizens”.

Images released by the government showed heavily armed troops clad in body armour and carrying assault rifles outside the city.

One resident, Guadalupe Perez, told the AFP news agency that the raid had come as a welcome surprise.

“They search you and ask for your identity papers to verify where you live, but that’s fine – it’s all for our safety,” the 53-year-old said.

Since Mr. Bukele announced a state of emergency in late March, more than 58,000 people have been jailed by authorities in the country of 6.5 million people.

Rights groups have criticized the heavy-handed nature of the crackdown, saying the measures, which allow police to arrest suspects without warrants, have led to arbitrary detentions.

But Mr. Bukele’s allies say the crackdown is necessary after a wave of homicides culminated with gangs being blamed for 62 murders in a single day on 26 March.

A recent poll taken by the Central American University (UCA) found that 75.9 percent of Salvadorans approved of the state of emergency. (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-63846159)

INOR
Herbalife
Agexport
Nestle
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
CUN-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Realidad Turística
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
blackanddecker
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
MuniGuate
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
AVA Resorts
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
Intecap
Los Portales
INTERFER
Cubasol
Barceló Solymar
Walmart
MITM Events
Revista Colombiana de Turismo Passport
AirEuropa
Barcelo Guatemala City
Henkel Latinoamerica
INTERFER
Maggi - GLUTEN-FREE
Cubacel
Intecap
Hotel Holiday Inn Guatemala
MuniGuate
Havanatur
Blue Diamond Resorts
Hotel Barcelo Solymar

Subscribe to our magazine

━ more like this

Pole Dancing in Israel: A New Dimension with BlueDance.co.il

In recent years, pole dancing has experienced a remarkable transformation, shifting from a misunderstood niche to a popular activity combining fitness, self-expression, and empowerment....

A New Luxury Hotel Just Opened on An Idyllic Beach in Cancun, Mexico — And We Were the First to Stay

Waldorf Astoria Cancun opened to the public on Nov. 1, the brand's first new build in Mexico, with two waterfront pools and a fantastic...

Pan American Health Organization Launches Interactive Dashboard on Avian Influenza in The Americas

To monitor cases of avian influenza A (H5N1) in the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) launched an interactive dashboard on the web...

Nicaragua Presents Its New Interoceanic Canal Route to China and Seeks to Compete with Panama

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes With a length of 445 kilometers, in a second attempt, the Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega, presents China with a new...

US Lawmakers Join Requests to Extend TPS To Central Americans

The chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Robert Menendez, along with other legislators gathered outside the Capitol this Thursday to express his...
AirEuropa
Revista Colombiana de Turismo Passport
Havanatur
Cubacel
Henkel Latinoamerica
Intecap
Maggi - GLUTEN-FREE
Hotel Holiday Inn Guatemala
INTERFER
Blue Diamond Resorts
Barcelo Guatemala City
Hotel Barcelo Solymar

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
Los Portales
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
Walmart
INTERFER
Nestle
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Cubasol
Agexport
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
Intecap
AVA Resorts
Barceló Solymar
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
blackanddecker
MITM Events
MuniGuate
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
INOR
Realidad Turística
Herbalife