El Salvador sends 4,000 security forces into 3 communities to pursue gang members

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador has sent more than 4,000 security forces into three communities on the outskirts of the capital to root out gang members. That move comes as President Nayib Bukele prepares to request another extension of emergency powers to combat crime. Bukele announced the pre-dawn operation Tuesday in a slickly produced video posted to the platform X. Soldiers and police were sent to surround the communities of Popotlan, Valle Verde and La Campanera. Bukele has used emergency powers granted after a surge in gang violence in March 2022 to wage an all-out offensive against the country’s powerful street gangs.