El Salvador announces new anti-gang measures

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — The president of El Salvador has announced he will seal off sections of cities to search for street gang members, the latest phase in a tough nine-month-old anti-crime crackdown. President Nayib Bukele told a gathering of 14,000 army troops Wednesday that certain sectors of cities in El Salvador will be surrounded by police and soldiers, and that anyone entering or leaving will be checked. Bukele said such tactics worked in the town of Comasagua in October. Bukele called it “Phase Five” of the crackdown, which has jailed more than 58,000 people since a state of emergency was declared in late March.