Bodies believed to be four Salvadoran soldiers found in Haiti
Bodies believed to be four Salvadoran soldiers have been found outside Port-au-Prince. They went missing in a gang ambush in Haiti.
Bodies believed to be four Salvadoran soldiers have been found outside Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. The four soldiers went missing days earlier in a gang ambush.
The remains were recovered on Saturday. The remains were badly burned, so autopsies will be needed to confirm identities.
The soldiers disappeared on Sunday when they jumped from a burning armoured vehicle that came under attack while returning from a market to their base. The Gang Suppression Force began operations in Haiti in 2026.
This UN-authorized multinational security mission marks this as the first major attack since it started. El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele said gangs were holding the four men.
He said he had launched a military operation to recover them. Haiti's gangs have expanded sharply since 2021.
They now control large parts of Port-au-Prince and have displaced 1.4 to 1.5 million people.
- Salvadoran military personnel
- Four soldiers
- 2026
- Mission start
- 1.4 to 1.5 million
- Displaced population
- 2,000 deployed of 5,500 authorized
- GSF troop strength
Why it mattersThis is the first major combat loss for the international security mission trying to suppress gang violence in Haiti. It tests whether the UN-backed operation can succeed.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect yet, though Australian observers of UN peacekeeping operations view developments in Haiti's security mission as a test of international intervention models.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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