El Salvador has initiated a military operation to rescue four of its soldiers who went missing after an armed gang attack in Haiti, President Nayib Bukele said in a post on X, without providing operational details. He warned the groups holding the men that a stronger response would follow if they were not released alive and well. Al Jazeera reported Bukele’s announcement.
The four personnel are aviation technicians serving with the United Nations-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF). They disappeared after fleeing an armoured vehicle that was set on fire in the Santo area of Croix-des-Bouquets, north of Port-au-Prince. The attack occurred three days before Bukele’s statement, according to the report.
Haiti’s government said the soldiers’ release was an “absolute priority” and that officials had met at the prime minister’s office to assess ongoing interventions and coordinate measures with the GSF. It was not immediately clear whether Haitian authorities had received confirmation that the men were alive.
The incident adds pressure on an international force that has been operating against gangs amid severe security constraints. In an earlier report, Al Jazeera said the GSF had deployed more than 2,000 personnel from six countries but remained below its authorised strength and needed equipment, logistics and funding to expand. The force officially began operations on June 1 and had been operating only in a limited capacity, that report said.
No gang has claimed responsibility for the attack. The area is controlled by armed groups including Kraze Barye and 400 Mawozo, whose leaders have been sanctioned by the United Nations and the United States. The available reports do not establish the scope, location or progress of El Salvador’s stated operation.