El Salvador Deploys 1,000 Troops to Haiti Following Disappearance of Soldiers
El Salvador has dispatched 1,000 soldiers to Haiti to rescue four missing aviation technicians captured by gangs during an October 18 ambush.
POLICY WIRE — Port-au-Prince, Haiti — El Salvador has launched a significant military deployment to Haiti, sending approximately 1,000 soldiers to the Caribbean nation in a series of arrivals over recent days. The mobilization follows the disappearance of four Salvadoran aviation technicians who were ambushed by gangs on October 18 in territory east of Port-au-Prince.
The missing personnel were serving as part of the United Nations-authorized Gang Suppression Force, a multinational mission currently comprised of just over 2,000 troops from nations including Jamaica, Chad, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and Guatemala. The mission is tasked with neutralizing criminal gangs and securing key infrastructure in the capital.
Search and rescue operations for the four missing service members remain active. Officials confirmed that at least four other soldiers assigned to the Gang Suppression Force have sustained injuries during the ongoing efforts to locate the captured men.
The arrival of these additional forces, which included four planeloads of troops and military equipment landing on Friday, follows public threats issued by the Salvadoran president against the gangs responsible for the ambush. The incident marks the first major crisis for the newly established Gang Suppression Force.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
