More than 1,000 soldiers They fenced off a neighborhood in the capital of El Salvador this Saturdayr in the framework of the war against gangs promoted by the president Najib
bukele, in the second operation of this type this month in this Central American country. “Since this morning, the Tutunichapa community, in San Salvador, has been totally fenced off,” Bukele said on Twitter.
(In context: Bukele’s new strategy: encircle cities to ‘lock up’ gang members)
“More than 1,000 soldiers and 130 police officers will extract the criminals that remain in this community, famous for drug trafficking,” he added, noting that this is done “without removing a single element from the Soyapango siege,” which It has been in effect since December 3.
In Tutunichapa, a populous neighborhood of San Salvador, the authorities reported the first six arrests of “criminals”, without specifying whether they are gang members or people involved in drug trafficking, according to information provided to the press by the Presidential House.
“All terrorists, drug dealers and gang members will be removed from this community, until a few months ago a stronghold of crime. Upright citizens have nothing to fear and can continue to lead their lives as normal,” he said.
Bukele in another tweet.
Since this morning, the Tutunichapa community, in San Salvador, has been totally fenced off.
Without removing a single element from the Soyapango siege, more than 1,000 soldiers and 130 police officers will extract the criminals that remain in this community, famous for drug trafficking. pic.twitter.com/TPr6NFwr6p
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) December 24, 2022
Soyapango, the country’s third largest city with 242,000 inhabitants and located in the San Salvador metropolitan area, was surrounded by nearly 10,000 military and police officers earlier this month under the protection of the emergency regime declared by Congress at the request of Bukele on December 27. March after an increase in violence due to gang actions.
The siege there has implied searches of houses and people who are on foot or in vehicles when leaving their neighborhoods, as well as random searches in collective transport units.
In the streets of Soyapango, armored army cars, some armed with artillery, carry out constant patrols, while police cars with heavily armed agents with assault rifles enter the neighborhoods of the municipality in search of gang members.
As of December 15, some 500 suspected gang members had been detained in Soyapango, according to the latest government balance. In El Salvador, the war against gangs, also called maras, has led to the arrest of more than 60,000 people since March for alleged links to criminal organizations, according to official figures.
STEPHANY ECHAVARRÍA
INTERNATIONAL EDITOR
TIME
*With information from AFP
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