Bodies of four Salvadoran soldiers found in Haiti

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 25 Oct, 01:32 · Archive

Four badly burned bodies, believed to be those of Salvadoran soldiers missing since an ambush by armed gangs in Haiti, have been found outside Port-au-Prince. The remains were recovered on Saturday and handed over at the international airport to a Salvadoran military team that had flown into Haiti on Friday. Autopsies will be needed to confirm their identities, as the bodies were badly burned.

The four Salvadorans went missing on Sunday after they jumped from a burning armoured vehicle that came under attack on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince while returning from a market to their base. The ambush was the first major attack on the Gang Suppression Force, a United Nations-authorised multinational mission, since it began operations in Haiti in 2026. President Nayib Bukele said on Wednesday that gangs were holding the four men and that El Salvador had launched a military operation to bring them back unharmed.

No group has publicly claimed responsibility for the attack, though local media have linked the ambush to gangs operating in the area, including armed groups Chen Mechan and 400 Mawozo. The Gang Suppression Force has about 2,000 troops on the ground, well below its authorised ceiling of 5,500. Haiti's gangs have expanded sharply since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, taking control of large parts of Port-au-Prince and displacing 1.4 million to 1.5 million people.

How it is being reported

• Bodies of ambushed Salvadoran soldiers found in HaitiFour badly burned bodies, believed to be those of four Salvadoran soldiers missing since an ambush by armed gangs in Haiti, have been found.Perth Now · 25 Oct, 00:56
• Bodies of ambushed Salvadoran soldiers found in HaitiFour badly burned bodies, believed to be those of four Salvadoran soldiers missing since an ambush by armed gangs in Haiti, have been found.The West Australian · 25 Oct, 00:56

In this story: El Salvador · Haiti · Port-au-Prince · Nayib Bukele · Gang Suppression Force · Chen Mechan · 400 Mawozo

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