El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele announced a rescue mission for four Salvadoran personnel missing in Haiti since an ambush on October 18. He said gangs were holding them captive, a claim not independently verified. The missing men served with an international security force, and Bukele described their work as aviation support and medical evacuation.
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele announced on October 21 that a military operation was under way to recover four Salvadoran personnel missing in Haiti. He called for their release and said armed gangs were holding them hostage. Their location and the identity of the alleged captors were not disclosed. The hostage assertion has not been independently verified.[1], [2]
The men disappeared on October 18 near Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. Security officials said they escaped a burning armored vehicle after gangs ambushed it while they were returning from a market to their base. El Salvador’s military and the international security force had already announced recovery efforts earlier in the week. They said intense fighting was restricting access to the area.[1]
Bukele described the missing men as aviation technicians whose main work was medical evacuation. They belonged to a Salvadoran contingent supporting an international security mission. The UN-backed Gang Suppression Force, tasked with helping Haitian police confront armed groups, did not immediately comment. Chad and Sri Lanka also contribute troops to the force, which has reached only slightly more than a third of its planned strength.[1]
