Casa destroyer, an abandoned apartment used by gang members as a refuge, is seen in San Salvador, El Salvador.

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Casa destroyer, an abandoned apartment used by gang members as a refuge, is seen during a night raid in Soyapango, a gang neighborhood in San Salvador, El Salvador, 13 December 2013. Although the murder rate in the country has dropped significantly, after a truce between two major street gangs (Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18) was agreed in 2012, the lack of security and violence are still the main issues in people's daily life. Due to the fact the gangs have never stopped their criminal activities (extortions, distribution of drugs and kidnappings), the Police anti-gang forces keep running their operations and chasing the ‘homeboys’ (how the gang's foot soldiers usually call themselves) in the poor, socially deprived suburbs of Salvadoran cities.

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Size: 5316px × 3544px
Location: San Salvador, El Salvador
Photo credit: © Jan Sochor / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 18th, abandoned, action, anti-gang, antipandillas, apartment, asylum, casa, conflict, crime, danger, destroyer, el, emergency, gang, mara, neighbourhood, night, operation, pandilla, police, poverty, problem, raid, refuge, salvador, salvatrucha, san, security, shanty, shelter, slum, social, street, town, troop, unidad, unit, violence