El Salvador Launches Rescue Mission After Haitian Gangs Take Four Peacekeepers Hostage

El Salvador has launched a military operation to rescue four of its service members who are being held hostage by armed gangs in Haiti, according to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. The service members belong to an international United Nations-backed security force operating in the Caribbean nation.

The four individuals went missing on Sunday following a violent ambush on the outskirts of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. Security officials reported that the Salvadoran troops were returning from a market to their base when heavily armed gangs attacked their armored vehicle with explosives. The blast set the vehicle ablaze, forcing the occupants to flee. While they initially went missing in the immediate aftermath of the attack, it was later confirmed that they were being held by gangs.

President Bukele clarified that the captured men are not combat troops, but rather aviation technicians and pilots whose primary duties involve carrying out medical evacuations and saving lives rather than engaging in combat operations. “Our mission consists only of pilots and technical personnel, whose primary job is to carry out medical evacuations and save lives, not to wage war,” Bukele stated in a post on the social media platform X.

Earlier in the week, both El Salvador’s military and the international force, known as the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), announced efforts to recover the missing personnel. However, rescue attempts were initially restricted due to intense fighting and limited access to the contested area where the ambush took place.

Bukele announced on Wednesday that a dedicated military operation had been initiated to bring the four hostages back safely, though he declined to provide specific tactical details about the mission or name the specific gang faction holding them. The Gang Suppression Force did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the operation.

The international security mission has faced significant operational hurdles since its deployment. Mandated to assist the Haitian police in combating powerful criminal groups, the force includes personnel from several nations, such as Chad and Sri Lanka. One year into its deployment, the GSF has reached just over a third of its planned personnel strength and has struggled to make a decisive impact on the security crisis in Haiti.

Haitian gangs have cemented their control over large portions of the capital and expanded their influence into surrounding regions. Their rise has been fueled by a prolonged political vacuum, widespread extortion networks, and a steady influx of illegal firearms smuggled largely from the United States.