Haitian Gangs Kill Four Salvadoran Soldiers in First Major Attack
Haitian gangs killed four Salvadoran soldiers in an ambush near Port-au-Prince, marking the first major attack on the UN-authorized Gang Suppression Force.
Armed gangs in Haiti killed four soldiers from El Salvador in an ambush outside Port-au-Prince. The soldiers disappeared the previous Sunday after fleeing a burning armored vehicle while returning to their base from a market. Their badly burned remains were recovered on Saturday and handed over to a Salvadoran military team at the international airport, though autopsies are required for formal identification.
Nayib Bukele, President of El Salvador, had previously launched a military operation to recover the men after stating that gangs were holding them captive. The Government of El Salvador deployed additional troops to support search and security operations following the disappearance.
This incident represents the first major attack on the Gang Suppression Force, a United Nations-authorized multinational mission, since it began operations this year. While no group has claimed responsibility for the ambush, local media have linked the attack to the Chen Mechan and 400 Mawozo gangs.
