El Salvador deploys special forces to Haiti after soldiers seized by gangs

El Salvador deployed 100 special forces soldiers to Haiti on Thursday to help rescue four missing soldiers from the Central American country who recently came under attack by gangs, two officials told Associated Press.

The special forces arrived a day after Salvadorean President Nayib Bukele announced a military operation to rescue the four aviation technicians, issuing an ultimatum directly to Haitian gang leaders in Creole.

“We have a single objective: to bring our four compatriots back home alive, without any harm,” Bukele wrote Wednesday on X. “We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too.”

Bukele said the four hostages – part of the United Nations-backed gang suppression force – were ambushed and abducted on Sunday after going shopping for food.