El Salvador sends 2,000 troops to Haiti to find four missing soldiers

El Salvador has moved more than 2,000 soldiers into Haiti to locate four missing air force technicians, a deployment announced by President Nayib Bukele to Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime earlier this week.

The Salvadoran foreign ministry confirmed the troop movement in a statement on Wednesday, describing the operation as a robust effort to retrieve the four nationals who vanished nearly two weeks ago.

The four soldiers were part of the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force, known as the GSF. They were returning to their base in an armored vehicle when they were ambushed in Croix-des-Bouquets, a section of the island controlled by armed groups.

Bukele stated that the deployed troops would also assist with security efforts against gangs in Haiti. The foreign ministry noted that the large-scale operation is supported by various countries and international organizations.

Tensions rose after Haitian special forces handed over four bodies earlier this week, claiming they belonged to the missing servicemen. Bukele rejected the identification, stating that one corpse was that of a child and another was wearing a uniform from a different country.

Last week, Bukele threatened to replicate the anti-gang actions taken in El Salvador if the local groups did not release the Salvadorans. The UN Security Council expanded the GSF's powers in October 2025 to address worsening violence.

Gang-related violence in Haiti has killed more than 5,700 people this year, according to the UN. The multinational force has struggled to enter areas under gang control, a challenge exacerbated by the political vacuum following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.