El Salvador has dispatched 100 members of an elite special forces unit to Haiti in an effort to rescue four Salvadoran servicemen who were abducted by armed gangs. The deployment, reported by Bloomberg and other news outlets, took place on October 22.
The servicemen were kidnapped on October 18 in Haiti while shopping for groceries. They are part of an international Anti-Gang Force that operates under United Nations support. According to El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, the hostages are aviation technicians responsible for medical evacuation operations.
“We have one goal: to bring our four compatriots home alive and unharmed. We have already put an end to the gangs in El Salvador, and we can put an end to you too,”
Bukele has called for the immediate release of the kidnapped servicemen and has threatened repercussions for the gangs holding them. Concurrently, international forces are actively searching for the hostages, with reports indicating that several militants have been killed and at least four members of the international mission have sustained injuries during confrontations.
The security situation in Haiti remains dire, with the United Nations reporting over 1,000 fatalities from violent incidents between July and September 2023, alongside more than 100 kidnappings. Armed groups have substantial control over Port-au-Prince and are extending their reach into other areas of the country.
