President Nayib Bukele said Salvadoran forces destroyed a site he identified as a 400 Mawozo base in Haiti, as he points to a wider anti-gang mission for troops initially sent to find four missing personnel.
On Tuesday, Bukele wrote on X in Haitian Creole, “We fulfilled our promise.” AFP reported that the video accompanying his post showed at least three helicopters firing on a two-story house in Croix-des-Bouquets, near Port-au-Prince, as people fled.
The Miami Herald reported that a Haitian police task force, supported by Salvadoran troops, carried out the operation Sunday. The newspaper said 20 people died, citing anonymous sources.
Bukele initially described the deployment as a search for four Salvadoran personnel who disappeared during an Oct. 18 ambush. He has since pointed to a broader campaign against Haitian gangs, AFP reported. EconoTimes’ earlier rescue coverage covered the initial mission.
AFP reported that more than 2,000 Salvadoran soldiers have been deployed to Haiti since late October. The vast majority are not participating in the U.N.-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF), AFP said, a situation that has raised concerns about the rules governing their operations.
Amnesty International on Monday urged Haiti and El Salvador to ensure Salvadoran forces’ operations comply with international human rights law. Haiti is scheduled to hold elections in July and October 2027, its first in more than a decade, AFP reported.
