Bukele deploys more than 1,000 soldiers to the San Salvador community to fight gangs

More than 1,000 soldiers surrounded a community in the capital of The Savior within the framework of the war against gangs promoted by the president Nayib Bukelein 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.

“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 Tutunichapaa populous neighborhood of San Salvador, the authorities reported the first six arrests of “criminals”, without specifying whether they are gang members or people dedicated to drug trafficking, according to information provided to the press by the Presidential House.

“All terrorists, drug traffickers and gang members will be removed from this community, until a few months ago a stronghold of crime. Honest citizens have nothing to fear and can continue to lead their lives normally,” Bukele said in another tweet.

soyapangothird city in the country with 242,000 inhabitants and located in the metropolitan area of San Salvadorwas surrounded by nearly 10,000 soldiers and police earlier this month under the emergency regime declared by Congress at the request of Bukele on March 27 after an increase in violence due to gang actions.

The siege there has implied searches of houses and people who go 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.

Until December 15 in soyapango Some 500 suspected gang members had been arrested, according to the latest government balance.

In The SaviorThe 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.

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