El Salvador deploys 10000 troops to gang-run capital suburb - Reuters Canada

SAN SALVADOR, Dec 3 (Reuters) - El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele announced Saturday the deployment of 10,000 information forces to a suburb of San Salvador known to beryllium a stronghold for gangs.

The determination is the latest escalation successful a crusade against pack unit that began successful March, which quality rights groups accidental has been marred by unjustified detentions.

"Soyapango is wholly surrounded," the president wrote connected Twitter aboriginal Saturday, referring to the municipality successful the eastbound portion of the superior portion known to beryllium a stronghold of the Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18 gangs.

"8,500 soldiers and 1,500 agents person surrounded the city, portion extraction teams from the constabulary and the service are tasked with extricating each the pack members inactive determination 1 by one."

Government representatives declined to remark connected the deployment.

Images released by the authorities showed troops carrying dense weapons, helmets and bulletproof vests, traveling successful warfare vehicles. The municipality has a colonisation of astir 300,000 and was antecedently considered impregnable for instrumentality enforcement.

Since helium began his plan to combat gangs, Bukele has ordered the apprehension of much than 50,000 alleged pack members, whom helium describes arsenic terrorists and has denied basal procedural rights to.

The program aims to trim the Central American country's homicide complaint to little than 2 a day, aft dozens of Salvadorans were killed successful a azygous play successful March.

Reporting by Gerardo Arbaiza; Edited by Noé Torres and Alexander Villegas and Franklin Paul

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