El Salvador sends 8,000 troops and police officers to comb rural province in massive anti-gang raid

SAN SALVADOR (AP) — El Salvador has sent about 8,000 soldiers and police to comb the rural province of Cabanas for street gang members. The operation announced Tuesday is one of the most massive raids since President Nayib Bukele declared a crackdown on the gangs in March 2022. About 1,000 police officers and 7,000 soldiers fanned out across Cabanas province to set up checkpoints on all roads leading in or out. Bukele claims that members of the country’s notorious MS-13 and Barrio 18 gangs have fled to the province. His government already has detained 71,976 people in the anti-gang crackdown, or 1% of El Salvador’s population.