The Honduran government mobilized thousands of police officers on Tuesday to areas controlled by criminal groups, marking the beginning of a partial state of emergency across parts of two of the country's largest cities.
The decision is part of leftist President Xiomara Castro's crackdown on gangs such as Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18. Some cities have been struggling in recent months with a so-called "war tax," in which gangs extort individuals or businesses.
Gangs have torched buses and killed drivers who did not pay up.
