Cnds

The National Defense and Security Council declared three criminal organizations terrorist associations in an overnight meeting at the presidential palace on September 18, with the groups' names to be announced once enforcement actions begin.

Congress says it will wait for the National Security Council to decide whether to impose a localized state of exception in high-crime areas before deciding what legislative action, if any, it will take.

President Nasry Asfura's National Defense and Security Council voted to shut down the anti-gang police directorate DIPAMPCO and replace it with a new inter-agency National Agency Against Crime (ANC) that will unify intelligence and operations with U.S. support.

The National Defense and Security Council, led by President Nasry Asfura, approved new security measures including disbanding the DIPAMPCO anti-gang directorate and restructuring specialized units to more effectively combat organized crime.