On a Sunday near Port-au-Prince, aircraft struck the compounds of 400 Mawozo, one of Haiti's most feared gangs, in an operation that Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele says his own military helped carry out. It lands in the long, grinding history of a nation whose state has struggled for years to reclaim territory from armed groups, and it arrives inside a harder, more personal drama: four Salvadoran men who vanished after a gang ambush in October and have not been found. Whether the strikes will be remembered as justice, as escalation, or as a step toward the men's return remains an open quest
El Salvador-Backed Air Assault Hits Haiti Gang HQ as Search for Four Missing Troops Continues
As many as 20 people are believed killed in the strikes, and four Salvadoran members of a U.N.-backed security mission remain missing after being abducted in a gang ambush.
A burned armored vehicle, and no trace of the four men
Mark
Why does this strike matter beyond the damage to one gang?
Mimi
Because it's tied to four missing men. Salvadoran members of a U.N.-backed mission were abducted on Oct. 18, and this looks like part of the response.
Mark
So El Salvador is now directly involved in the fighting?
Mimi
Salvadoran troops backed a Haitian police task force on Sunday, and thousands more Salvadoran troops were sent to help search. Bukele has warned of overwhelming force if the men aren't returned alive.
Luke
Let's be careful about who said what. The Miami Herald reported the Haitian-led, Salvadoran-backed structure. Bukele's public statements are his own framing.
Mark
What about casualties?
Mimi
As many as 20 people may have been killed.
Luke
That comes from anonymous sources cited by the Herald. It isn't independently confirmed, and 'as many as' tells us it's a ceiling, not a count.
Mark
And the missing men, are they alive?
Luke
Nobody knows. Salvadoran officials believe they were abducted and survived. One gang leader claimed they were dead. Neither claim is verified here.
Mimi
The burned armored vehicle was found, but no trace of the men.
Mark
Haiti's prime minister welcomed the strikes?
Mimi
Yes. Alix Didier Fils-Aimé thanked Bukele and praised the Gang Suppression Force and Haitian forces, and said the collaboration will continue.
Il Polso
- Helicopters and aircraft hit 400 Mawozo headquarters near Port-au-Prince, and dozens of people were seen fleeing the compounds on foot and motorbikes.
- Estimates of as many as 20 dead come from anonymous sources and have not been independently confirmed, leaving the human toll uncertain.
- Four Salvadoran members of a U.N.-backed security mission remain missing since the October 18 ambush, with only a burned armored vehicle recovered.
- Bukele has promised overwhelming force if the men are not returned alive, while El Salvador has sent thousands more troops into the search.
- Haitian Prime Minister Fils-Aimé has publicly thanked Salvadoran forces and vowed the gangs will get no sleep, signaling the campaign will continue.
On a Sunday near Port-au-Prince, aircraft struck the compounds of 400 Mawozo, one of Haiti's most feared gangs, in an operation that Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele says his own military helped carry out. It lands in the long, grinding history of a nation whose state has struggled for years to reclaim territory from armed groups, and it arrives inside a harder, more personal drama: four Salvadoran men who vanished after a gang ambush in October and have not been found. Whether the strikes will be remembered as justice, as escalation, or as a step toward the men's return remains an open question.
On Sunday, helicopters swept over compounds near Port-au-Prince and fired on the headquarters of 400 Mawozo, one of Haiti's most powerful criminal gangs. Videos show several aircraft striking large complexes, and afterward dozens of people can be seen leaving on foot and on motorbikes.
On Tuesday, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said his country's military had helped deliver the assault, targeting gang strongholds and the home of the group's leader, Lanmò San Jou. The operation was carried out by a Haitian police task force backed by Salvadoran troops. Bukele posted that his government had kept its promise, and mocked those seen fleeing as having run without trying to fight.
The strike is part of a wider effort rooted in a painful loss. On October 18, four Salvadoran members of a U.N.-backed security mission were abducted in a gang ambush. Only a burned armored vehicle has been found, and no trace of the four men. Salvadoran officials believe they were taken alive, though a gang leader has claimed they are dead, a claim that remains unverified.
As many as 20 people may have been killed in Sunday's strikes, according to anonymous sources cited by The Miami Herald, though that figure is not confirmed. Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé thanked Bukele and praised the Salvadoran forces, promising the collaboration will continue. The question now is whether the four missing men are found alive, and what further force follows if they are not.
On Sunday, helicopters swept over compounds near Port-au-Prince and fired on the headquarters of 400 Mawozo, one of Haiti's most powerful criminal gangs. Videos of the attack show several aircraft striking multiple buildings inside large, sprawling complexes. Afterward, dozens of people can be seen leaving the properties on foot and on motorbikes.
On Tuesday, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said his country's military had helped deliver the assault. He said the strikes hit gang strongholds and the home of the group's leader, Lanmò San Jou. 400 Mawozo has been linked to mass kidnappings, weapons trafficking and extortion. According to The Miami Herald, the operation was carried out by a Haitian police task force backed by Salvadoran troops.
Bukele posted on X that his government had kept its promise. He also mocked the people seen fleeing, writing that most of them ran without trying to fight.
The strike appears to belong to a larger military effort. On Oct. 18, four Salvadoran members of a U.N.-backed security mission were abducted in a gang ambush near Port-au-Prince. Authorities later recovered a burned armored vehicle, but found no trace of the four men. El Salvador responded by sending thousands of additional troops to help with the search.
Salvadoran officials believe the men were taken alive. One gang leader has claimed they are dead, and that claim is unverified in the reporting. The disappearance has become a national priority for Bukele, who has warned Haitian gang leaders that El Salvador is prepared to use overwhelming force if the men are not returned alive.
The human toll of Sunday's strikes is unclear. The Miami Herald, citing anonymous sources, reported that as many as 20 people may have been killed. That figure has not been independently confirmed.
Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé also responded on Tuesday. He thanked Bukele for his commitment to confronting Haiti's long-running gang crisis and restoring state control. He praised the U.N.-backed Gang Suppression Force, the Haitian National Police, the Haitian Armed Forces and their international partners. "I salute the commitment of the Salvadoran forces in the fight against gangs," he said. In a message addressed to Bukele, he added that the collaboration will continue and that the gangs will get no sleep.
What remains unresolved is the fate of the four missing Salvadorans. Since the ambush, the search has widened and the rhetoric has hardened. Whether they are found alive, and what further force Bukele orders if they are not, will shape what follows Sunday's strikes.
Citazioni salienti
We kept our promise.— Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, on X
I salute the commitment of the Salvadoran forces in the fight against gangs.— Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé
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