U.S. President Donald Trump backed El Salvador’s planned deployment of as many as 2,000 troops to Haiti, Axios reported, after President Nayib Bukele asked whether Washington would oppose the mission.
Axios reported that Bukele called Trump on Tuesday and received the reply, “Do what you have to do.” El Salvador said Wednesday its deployment could reach 2,000 troops and grow further. Axios also reported that Haiti’s government had approved the operation, a claim that remains unverified.
The plan follows an ambush that left four Salvadoran military personnel missing. EconoTimes previously covered the recovery effort for four missing Salvadoran technicians.
Axios reported that Bukele’s requests for U.S. military equipment, including drones and transport aircraft, were denied. The outlet said Colombia might provide an indirect route for equipment. It also reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had earlier objected to Bukele’s proposal for Salvadoran forces to lead efforts to pacify Haiti on Washington’s behalf.
Bukele wrote Thursday on X that Salvadoran troops had come to fight armed gangs. He also said no one was paying El Salvador for the mission.
