Thousands of soldiers fence off a Salvadoran neighborhood in pursuit of gang remnants

Associated Press

SAN SALVADOR (AP) — More than 2,000 soldiers and 500 police officers surrounded a dense neighborhood on the outskirts of El Salvador’s capital in an effort to quash the remnants of gangs the president said were trying to set up shop in the area. Police on Monday surrounded the San Marcos neighborhood with a military fence, setting up checkpoints to prevent gang members from escaping. The blockade is the latest in the populist leader’s war on gangs.