The deaths of multiple civilians in a police operation Port-au-Prince has shocked local residents as the government battles gangs in the wake of UN peacekeeper departure one month ago.

A police operation that ended in a school in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, has left at least seven civilians dead.

Residents say the number is higher and that some were executed by the police.

The accusations of rights abuses come as Haiti re-establishes its armed forces after the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers.

Al Jazeera's Teresa Bo reports from Port-au-Prince.