EL SALVADOR sent more than 4,000 troops into three communities on the outskirts of the capital to arrest gang members on Wednesday as President Nayib Bukele prepared to request another extension of emergency powers to combat crime.

Mr Bukele announced the pre-dawn operation in a video posted on social media. Soldiers and police were sent to surround the densely populated communities of Popotlan, Valle Verde and La Campanera outside San Salvador, the president said.

“We are not going to stop until we capture the last ‘terrorist’ that remains,” Mr Bukele said, using a phrase that typically refers to members of gangs who have been accused of drug trafficking, protection rackets and extortion.