Four members of El Salvador’s air force were missing in Haiti after armed groups ambushed their armored vehicle, while heavy fighting hampered efforts to reach the area, the country’s armed forces said late Sunday.
Explosives hit the vehicle as the team returned to camp, and it caught fire. The four escaped, but the armed forces subsequently lost contact with them.
El Salvador sent helicopters to support the team, but the aircraft came under fire. The armed forces said several efforts to gain access from the ground and the air had been impeded by clashes and security conditions. Reuters reported that other countries involved in Haiti’s anti-gang operations also tried to assist.
In its own account, the Gang Suppression Force said an assault in Santo, in the Port-au-Prince area, involved a vehicle carrying its personnel. It did not specify how many members were involved.
El Salvador sent security personnel to Haiti last year as part of the international effort against armed gangs. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said in September that 1,500 Gang Suppression Force personnel were deployed in Haiti and another 4,000 were expected in the coming months.
