Haiti Police captures hijacked cargo ship after gun battle with gangs

The National Police in Haiti revealed that it has managed to take control of a cargo vessel carrying rice, which had been captured by gangs. The police is said to have engaged with the gangsters in a 5-hour long gun battle but ultimately managed to wrest control of the cargo ship from them.

In an official statement released by the authorities, it was explained that while they are unsure of the number of gangsters who were injured or killed in the exchange, two police officials were injured during the operation.

The operation was carried out of Saturday, just of the coast of Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince. This news has been received quite well as it is being considered one of the few successful operations conducted by the police.

The National Police id said to be grossly underfunded which has left it with limited capabilities. As a result, it has been back peddling in the face of escalating gang violence and targeted attacks which initially began on the 29th of February and are continuing to this day.

The police has identified The Taliban Gang and the 5 Seconds as the two gangs who were responsible for hijacking the cargo vessel. In a statement released on Sunday, the police explained that the vessel was captured by gunmen while it was leaving the port of Varreux on Thursday.

The cargo vessel is said to have been carrying 60,000 sacks of rice out of which the gangs have apparently stolen an estimated 10,000 sacks, according to reports from the Radio Télé Métronome. It was also revealed that the ship was originally headed for Cap-Haitien in the north before being intercepted by the gangs.

The Taliban Gang is also being held responsible for attacking a police station in Canaan, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, with a shoulder mounted rocket propeller. This attack left the police station virtually demolished, killing at least four police officials and rendering the station inoperable.

The police also made use of megaphones to call for the evacuation of the Champ de Mars area which is in the vicinity of the National Palace in the capital city on Monday as gunfights began around the area.

Violence in the nation has been escalating as gangs continue to target high priority government infrastructure including multiple police stations and the international airport. Gangs also attacked two prisons in the nation, releasing 4,000 prisoners in the process. The situation has become extremely chaotic since causing distress to the average citizen.