El Salvador’s Bukele threatens Haitian gangs over abducted soldiers

President Nayib Bukele says he has initiated military operation to rescue four Salvadoran soldiers abducted in Haiti.

Al Jazeera2026-10-22 05:36查看原文 ↗

President Nayib Bukele says he has initiated military operation to rescue four Salvadoran soldiers abducted in Haiti.

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele [File: AFP]

El Salvador has initiated a military operation to rescue four Salvadoran soldiers abducted by gangs in Haiti, President Nayib Bukele announced in a post on X, without elaborating.

Bukele, known for his intense crackdown on gang violence in El Salvador, warned in Wednesday’s statement that a more forceful response was coming if the personnel were not released alive and well.

list 1 of 3 Ecuador defends US sinking of vessels as joint anti-drug operation

list 2 of 3 ‘Handcuffed and blindfolded’: Is the US targeting Ecuadorian fishermen?

list 3 of 3 Trump rallies Latin American allies against drug cartels

“Do not take our word for empty threats,” the president wrote, addressing the gangs allegedly responsible for holding the four men. “We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too.”

Gangs in Haiti opened fire on an armoured vehicle carrying the men three days earlier, in the first major attack since an international gang suppression force began operating in the violence-wracked Caribbean country last year.

The four men, aviation technicians with the United Nations-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF), have been missing since they fled the burning vehicle in the Santo area of Croix-des-Bouquets, Port-au-Prince.

Haiti’s government issued a news release on Wednesday evening saying the release of the abducted soldiers was an “absolute priority”.

It was not immediately clear if Haitian authorities received any confirmation that the Salvadoran soldiers are alive.

The government said a meeting was held at the prime minister’s office “to assess the ongoing interventions and determine the necessary measures to strengthen operations, in close collaboration with the Gang Repression Force”.

A spokesperson for the GSF did not immediately respond to a message seeking details

The UN-backed force is still fighting gangs in the community where Sunday’s attack occurred, warning residents in the area to remain indoors.

More than a million displaced in Haiti

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Salvadoran troops, which comes as Haiti prepares for its first general election in more than a decade. It also showcases the power of the gangs that control an estimated 70 percent of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

El Salvador is among several countries – including Chad, Jamaica and Guatemala – to form part of the gang suppression force, with more than 2,000 troops on the ground in Haiti.

Gang violence has displaced nearly 1.5 million people in Haiti in recent years. More than 5,700 people have been killed or injured from January through mid-September this year, and more than 230 have been kidnapped, according to the UN.

The area where the armoured vehicle was targeted is controlled by gangs, including Chèn Méchan; Kraze Barye, led by Vitel’Homme Innocent; and 400 Mawozo, led by Lanmo Sanjou.

Both gang leaders have been sanctioned by the UN and the US.

萨尔瓦多总统纳伊布·布克莱表示，他已启动军事行动，营救在海地被绑架的四名萨尔瓦多士兵。

萨尔瓦多总统纳伊布·布克莱[资料图：法新社]

萨尔瓦多总统纳伊布·布克莱在社交媒体X上发帖宣布，萨尔瓦多已发起军事行动，营救四名在海地被团伙绑架的萨尔瓦多士兵，但并未详细说明。

布克莱因其对萨尔瓦多帮派暴力的严厉打击而闻名，他在周三的声明中警告说，如果这些人员不能活着平安获释，将会采取更强硬的回应。

列表 1/3：厄瓜多尔为美国击沉船只的行为辩护，称其为联合缉毒行动

列表 2/3 “被铐上手铐和蒙住眼睛”：美国是否以厄瓜多尔渔民为目标？

特朗普集会拉美盟友打击贩毒集团（共3项）之3

总统在致信据称绑架了四名男子的团伙时写道：“不要把我们的威胁当成空话。我们已经消灭了萨尔瓦多的团伙，我们也能消灭你们。”

三天前，海地帮派向一辆载有这些人的装甲车开火，这是自去年国际打击帮派部队开始在这个饱受暴力蹂躏的加勒比国家开展行动以来发生的第一起重大袭击事件。

这四名男子是联合国支持的打击帮派部队（GSF）的航空技术人员，自他们在太子港克鲁瓦德布凯的圣托地区逃离燃烧的车辆后便下落不明。

海地政府周三晚间发表新闻稿称，释放被绑架士兵是“绝对优先事项”。