In a message on tweet, the President reiterated that territorial control now belongs entirely to the State, an action repeated by several netizens who supported the measure launched by the authorities since the early hours of last Saturday.
Ten thousand Army and National Civil Police (PNC) troops, accompanied by their ministers and chiefs and with a display of military technology, including lightly armored vehicles, surrounded the municipality, the nation’s most populous, to operate in 40 areas They would be pulled out, Criminals belonging to the gangs.
The day before, the Catholic Church also took up the matter when the Archbishop of San Salvador, Monsignor José Luis Escobar Alas, stressed that the military siege being carried out as part of Phase V of the Territorial Control Plan is not just a right , but an obligation of San Salvador is the state’s law enforcement.
The head of the local community members pointed out that prosecuting a crime is the state’s duty and the government carries it out while upholding and respecting the rights of honest people, which makes the operation more legitimate.
“It is a novelty (the military siege) because it has not been carried out as it should be done in any civilized society. The problem of violence was serious, we hope that all these efforts will lead us to social peace,” Escobar said.
The prelate stressed that the government’s interventions in this operation guarantee and protect the rights of honest people, one of the biggest issues facing the authorities in their actions against gangs.
While conducting operations against the groups that the government describes as terrorists, some elements were arrested, including Guillermo Alexander Pineda aka “Lazy”, one of the gunmen of the 18th Revolutionary Gang, one of the most wanted in the country and accused of homicide and extortion ordered at national level.
Meanwhile, the population of Soyapango maintains normal activity, protected by members of the PNC and the armed forces, who control entry and exit to the area to prevent gang members from breaking the siege.
Ordinary citizens have nothing to fear and can go on with their lives normally, Bukele said in announcing the start of Phase V, “extraction,” which will gradually be expanded to other communities in the country.
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