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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| El Salvador: Entire region 'under siege' to hem in gangs |
| 2023-08-03 |
| Who is gonna get it right? [BBC] Thousands of soldiers in El Salvador have surrounded a rural region larger than New York City to flush out gang members who are allegedly hiding there. The military deployment in Cabañas was ordered by President Nayib Bukele as part of his ongoing war on gangs. More than 70,000 suspected gang members have been arrested since a state of emergency was declared in March 2022. Thousands of people with no discernible link to gang activity have also been swept up in the dragnet of arrests. Lorries loaded with soldiers were seen on the streets of the regional towns of Tejutepeque and Ilobaso on Tuesday, AFP news agency reports. "Since this morning, 7,000 soldiers and 1,000 police officers have established a security fence," Mr Bukele posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. The president said that his government's security strategies had succeeded in dismantling the gangs in the country's large urban centres and forced them into hiding in rural areas. This latest operation was aimed at "completely surrounding them" and "extracting them from their hideaways", he added. The president stressed that the siege would not be lifted until "all the criminals" were apprehended. At the same time, he assured Salvadoreans that "honest people, visitors and tourists have nothing to fear" but did not clarify how the security forces would distinguish between the two groups. Cabañas is an agricultural region which covers an area of just over 1,000 sq km (390 sq miles) and is home to more than 160,000 people. It is not clear whether residents will be able to leave the area while the military siege is under way and how they would be able to "go about their normal activities" as the president said they would. It is not the first time the security forces have sealed off a whole area. In December, troops surrounded the city of Soyapango as part of a gang crackdown. Rights groups have been highly critical of the mass arrests carried out under the state of emergency, saying they have led to thousands of people being arbitrarily detained. There are also concerns about a recent move by the country's lawmakers to allow mass trials. Related: El Salvador: 2023-07-18 Transgender Miss Netherlands Rikkie Valerie Kollé blasts 'sad and horrible' attacks on Dylan Mulvaney after Bud Light disaster and claims critics who wish them dead 'see us as monsters' El Salvador: 2023-07-10 Transgender woman is crowned Miss Netherlands for the first time in the beauty pageant's history and will now compete for the Miss Universe crown El Salvador: 2023-06-29 500% more crossed Darién Gap in 2023 than year before, and many more with health issues |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #5 He's showing just how easy it is to put an end to gangs. Don't start slapping them on the back yet. The coalition surrounded Fallujah before the second battle to keep the insurgents in. By the time it was over, the Americans estimated 2/3rds of the insurgents escaped, including all the senior leadership despite the siege. Those that stayed volunteered or were voluntold and they died. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2023-08-03 15:40 |
| #4 Those tats are uniform, rank, and campaign ribbons. Like the Yakuza, or a Roach Motel, once you join you never leave. Worked with a Latino Green Card holder that had a 'black teardrop' tattoo under one eye and, no, I didn't ask. |
| Posted by: magpie 2023-08-03 14:48 |
| #3 Thousands of people with no discernible link to gang activity have also been swept up in the dragnet of arrests. Pictures, BBC? Those tats are uniform, rank, and campaign ribbons. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2023-08-03 14:27 |
| #2 He's showing just how easy it is to put an end to gangs. No wonder the deep state allied NGOs are so angry. |
| Posted by: Spike Flomort7424 2023-08-03 05:25 |
| #1 NYC's Adams unveils $500M 'blueprint' for reducing gun violence |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2023-08-02 09:14 |