Entire region 'under siege' to hem in gangs
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.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-66379555