A Salvadoran contingent has joined the search in Haiti for four missing aviation technicians, bringing El Salvador into an operation alongside Haitian security forces after the men’s vehicle was attacked.
The U.N.-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF) said the contingent reached Port-au-Prince on Thursday and was assisting the search in Plaine du Cul-de-Sac. The force said the Salvadorans were coordinating with the Haitian National Police and other security units. It urged residents of Santo and nearby communities to avoid areas where the operation was underway.
The GSF did not give a troop count. The Associated Press reported that 100 Salvadoran troops arrived Thursday; a Salvadoran official told the agency another 100 were expected later that night.
The four technicians have been missing since an Oct. 18 attack in Santo, Anadolu Agency reported. Armed men used firearms and explosives against their vehicle, which caught fire; the men escaped before officials lost contact with them. EconoTimes previously reported the attack that left four Salvadoran air force members missing. Haiti’s government said securing their return was an “absolute priority” and that it had mobilized resources.
President Nayib Bukele announced the rescue effort Wednesday. In a post on X on Friday, he dismissed warnings that Haiti’s gangs could pose a greater challenge than criminal groups in El Salvador and expressed confidence in the mission.
Anadolu Agency reported that a social media video showed Wilson Joseph, known as Lanmo San Jou, with ammunition as he vowed to fight Salvadoran forces. A U.N. report identifies Joseph as a leader of 400 Mawozo. Anadolu also reported that no gang had claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.
The search was continuing with Haitian police and other security partners, the GSF said.
