High-ranking defense and military officials from a dozen countries in Latin America are meeting in El Salvador to analyze how to combat street gangs and drug cartels.

Salvadoran Defense Minister David Munguia said Wednesday that "the power of transnational criminal organizations has outstripped the power of any one country to contain or defeat them." He said international cooperation is needed to confront the gangs.

The Central America Security Conference was attended by officials from Central America, the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The gangs have brought some of the highest homicide rates in the world to countries like El Salvador and Honduras.