El Salvador sends special forces to Haiti after four military aviation technicians disappear in a gang attack, exposing the security mission's operational challenges.
El Salvador has deployed 100 special forces soldiers to Haiti to help locate four missing military personnel following an attack on their armored vehicle, as escalating clashes expose the difficulties facing the international security mission in the Caribbean country.
The deployment on Thursday, October 22, follows Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s announcement of a military operation to rescue the four aviation technicians. Bukele warned of a stronger military response if the missing personnel are not returned alive and unharmed.
A Salvadoran government official, speaking to The Associated Press without authorization to comment publicly, said another 100 soldiers were expected to arrive in Haiti later Thursday. Salvadoran authorities were operating on the assumption that the four missing personnel remained alive.
Gang-controlled territory complicates rescue efforts
Haiti’s government confirmed on Wednesday evening that the four Salvadoran personnel had been abducted following an attack on Sunday in Croix-des-Bouquets, an area on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.
According to authorities, the technicians were traveling in an armored vehicle when armed groups opened fire and used explosives. The vehicle caught fire, forcing the personnel to flee. Their whereabouts remain unknown.
The international gang suppression force said a Salvadoran contingent had arrived to support ongoing search and security operations in the area.
However, the operation faces significant obstacles. Diego Da Rin, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, warned that locating the missing personnel could prove extremely difficult.
“It will be almost impossible to find them … unless the gangs agree to hand them over,” he said.
Da Rin noted that the Salvadoran personnel apparently lacked the level of security protection required to operate deep inside territory controlled by armed groups. Their precise activities in the area also remain unclear.
The attack occurred in territory controlled by the Chèn Méchan gang, near areas where the more heavily armed 400 Mawozo gang operates. Neither group has claimed responsibility, and neither has publicly addressed the incident on social media.
Da Rin suggested that the missing personnel could become leverage in a broader confrontation between armed groups and the authorities.
“The silence surrounding the situation of the Salvadorans might actually help them increase the leverage they can use to compel the authorities to enter into negotiations,” he stated. “I do not believe this kidnapping is so much an attempt to gain money, but rather an effort to prevent incursions into their territories.”
International security mission faces mounting pressure
The attack represents the first major incident involving the international gang suppression force since it began operations, replacing a Kenyan-led mission that struggled to support Haitian police amid shortages of funding and resources.
The force currently has slightly more than 2,000 personnel, well below the planned deployment of 5,500. Its limited numbers raise questions about its capacity to conduct sustained operations across areas controlled by heavily armed groups.
Da Rin said the force had generally conducted incursions and cleared territory that Haitian security forces would subsequently secure. The current fighting has changed that approach.
He also warned that launching a large-scale offensive without adequate preparation could create further risks.
“The (force) was not prepared to begin its offensive campaign against the gangs,” Da Rin said. “The risk of launching large-scale operations is that the gangs might rejoin forces… and launch coordinated attacks.”
Haitian National Police units, including a task force working with Vectus Global, a private security company founded by former US Navy SEAL and Blackwater founder Erik Prince, have joined the international force in operations around the attack site. Heavy fighting has continued in gang-controlled territory, prompting authorities to warn residents to remain indoors.
The confrontation also carries a political dimension. On Wednesday night, a gang leader known as Krisla, who controls territory away from the attack site, posted a video referring to Bukele and the ongoing fighting.
“They have bigger weapons and more technology than we do, but we’ll fight to the end,” he said. “We didn’t ask Bukele to come here, we didn't ask Bukele to send soldiers here. Bukele has come here to protect his money at his soldiers' expense.”
Da Rin noted that some contractors working with Vectus Global are from El Salvador. El Salvador’s presidential office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Agencies
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