US soldiers fight crime in Puerto Rico

A number of US soldiers from the National Guard has been sent to Puerto Rico, a US territory, to help curb a vicious crime wave in the country’s central mountains.



Officials say the mountains have become a new refuge for drug gangs flushed out of the country’s cities.



Last year, the territory recorded its third-worst murder rate with 894 people murdered.



The national guardsmen, whose role is restricted to backing up police will stay until year\'s end as 1,000 new police recruits complete training at their academy.