Guatemala declares state of siege after suspected drug dealers kill 3 soldiers

Guatemala's government on Wednesday declared a state of siege in five northeastern provinces in an effort to regain control after three soldiers were killed by suspected drug traffickers, authorities said. Authorities will send more military and police personnel to Alta Verapaz, El Progreso, Izabal, Peten and Zacapa provinces, a drug-trafficking corridor that runs from Honduras to Mexico borders. The measure will impose a curfew, prohibit demonstrations and make it easier for the armed forces to detain people. Congress must approve the measure.

"These criminal groups operate throughout the region," Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales told a news conference. The Guatemalan Army said a group of suspected drug traffickers "ambushed" a patrol of nine soldiers on Tuesday who were sent to detain an aircraft allegedly transporting drugs. Guatemala, like neighboring El Salvador and Honduras, is a for the trafficking of drugs from South America to the United States.