Several Haitian police officers were killed Friday during an operation against gangs that control several poor neighborhoods of the capital Port-au-Prince, President Jovenel Moise said.

"Today, March 12, something serious happened in Port-au-Prince. The police are struggling within their meager means to keep the population safe, to free them from the clutches of the bandits," the president said at the start of a speech that been announced the day before.

"Unfortunately, some of our police brothers... fell in this operation," he said.

Bursts of automatic gunfire rang out throughout the morning in the Village de Dieu district in the heart of the Haitian capital.

In a video posted to social media the lifeless bodies of two police officers from specialized units were dragged to the ground and beaten by unidentified individuals.

And images released by the gangs themselves showed several damaged police vehicles, including an armored truck, which had been abandoned.

Heavy caliber automatic weapons and police equipment were also reportedly recovered by the criminals.

The Haitian president did not specify the number of police officers killed or wounded during the operation.

Contacted by AFP, a police spokesperson was not yet able to give an assessment of the clashes that took place in the morning.

The grip of gangs on Haitian territory has increased considerably in recent years, and the criminal networks have full control over several poor and densely populated areas of the capital

These lawless areas are used to hold people they have kidnapped. Since the fall, Haiti has witnessed an upsurge in kidnappings for ransom, target both rich and poor.

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