Incredible images show handcuffed members from the notorious Barrio 18 gang being marched onto buses taking them from Izalco jail to San Francisco Gotera in an effort to curb gang violence.

In all 1,177 Barrio 18 members were transferred.

In a potentially incendiary move, Barrio 18 members at the jail will mix with their rivals from the hyper-violent Mara Salvatrucha gang, or MS-13.

And they will all be classified not by their gang affiliation, but by how dangerous they are.

The policy of mixing the gangs together came about when officials realised that gangs were directing criminal activity from within prison walls.

Prisons director Rodil Hernandez said last week in San Salvador that the gang members were moved from regular prisons to the maximum security lockup where they will be completely isolated from the outside world.

He said investigations indicated these gang members had ties to some recent attacks on state institutions.

So far this year, gang members have been blamed for killing 20 police officers, two soldiers, six prison guards and a prosecutor.  

Just last week eight gang members were killed in a confrontation with police on a coffee farm in El Salvador, according to police, the same day as hundreds of thousands of people marched around the country for an end to rising violence.

Police raided the farm in the city of San Jose Villanueva, south of San Salvador, after complaints from residents, according to a statement.

The gang members fired first, the police said, and one officer was lightly injured. The gang members were part of Barrio 18, according to the prosecutor's office.

(dailymail.co.uk)