“There is a scheme being designed for war between gangs and law enforcement security units. And this is getting very dangerous,” said Jeannette Aguilar, director of the University Public Opinion Institute at the Jose Simeón Cañas Central American University, in an interview with Spain’s El País.
El Salvador’s year is already looking to be a particularly violent one. After emerging from one of its deadliest months in a decade and a fatal shootout this weekend, the government announced it would set up a police battalion to “clean up” the gang problem. The increasingly militarized approach and escalating violence continue to fuel an exodus of children and families out of the country, even though many of them may not make it as far as the U.S. border this year.
Nine members of the Barrio 18 gang, one of the main criminal groups in El Salvador, were killed Saturday after a shootout with federal security forces. After the incident, President Salvador Sánchez Cerén announced the creation of three army battalions to combat gang activity. On Monday, he followed up that plan with an additional police battalion that would coordinate actions with the army.
Government officials declined to elaborate on how the forces would operate. “I’m not going to explain how they work because … I would be revealing information that I cannot reveal,” said Hato Hasbún, president of El Salvador’s security commission, at a press conference Monday. “They are immediate battalions, specialized,” he said. Meanwhile, five members of the military have been killed or injured in gang attacks since Friday that resulted in three deaths and two injuries.
[…]
