El Salvador: Thousands of troops surround city in gang crackdown
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.
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 armor and carrying assault rifles outside the city.
Since 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.
Agencies