Central American countries to co-ordinate against gangs

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – The presidents of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador say better co-ordination between police and military forces patrolling their borders will bring success against the gangs plaguing their countries.

At an event Tuesday in the Honduran city of Nuevo Ocotepeque, the leaders of the so-called Northern Triangle nations said their border forces would better communicate in efforts to confront drug, weapons and human trafficking.

The effort was spurred by Honduras and Guatemala complaining that El Salvador’s crackdown on its gangs had driven criminals into their countries.

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez says criminal groups were responsible for 17,000 killings in their countries in 2015.