World · Latin America · 2 hrs ago
Four Salvadoran air force members missing after ambush in Haiti
Four Salvadoran air force members are missing after an armed group ambushed their vehicle in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
El Salvador’s armed forces said the team was returning to camp in an armored vehicle when it was hit by explosives and caught fire.
The troops escaped the vehicle, but contact with them was lost; another account gives the number missing as five.
They were serving with the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force, which is helping Haiti tackle armed gangs.
Salvadoran helicopters sent to support the response came under fire, and attempts to reach the area by land and air were hindered by fighting and dangerous conditions.
The search has been made difficult by ongoing violence, and the available accounts do not say whether the missing personnel have been found.
El Salvador sent security forces to Haiti last year as part of an international effort to restore security.
Four Salvadoran air force members are missing after gangs attacked their armoured vehicle in Haiti on Sunday.
The soldiers, described as aviation technicians, escaped after explosives hit the vehicle and it caught fire.
Salvadoran helicopters sent to help came under fire, while fighting hampered efforts to reach the area by land and air.
The attack took place in Croix-des-Bouquets, an area controlled by gangs, north of Port-au-Prince.
Most reports say four soldiers are missing, while the New York Times headline says five.
- Who
- Four Salvadoran air force members deployed with the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force are missing.
- What
- Their armoured vehicle was attacked with explosives and caught fire. They escaped the vehicle, but contact with them was lost.
- When
- Sunday, before reports published on October 19, 2026.
- Where
- Croix-des-Bouquets, north of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
- Why
- The attackers’ motive is not stated.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Gangs attacked the Salvadoran soldiers’ armoured vehicle as they were returning to camp.
Salvadoran authorities said the four aviation technicians were missing and that helicopters sent to locate them had come under fire.
The UN Security Council met to discuss Haiti, with the attack expected to feature in the discussion.
- Missing personnel
- Four, according to most reports; the New York Times headline says five
- Nationality and role
- Salvadoran air force members; described as aviation technicians
- Force
- UN-backed Gang Suppression Force
- Attack location
- Croix-des-Bouquets, north of Port-au-Prince
- Vehicle
- Hit by explosives and set on fire
4 sources
What people are saying
Multiple attempts to approach by land and air have been made, but the intensity of the fighting has hampered these
We believe the four men survived, but they do remain unaccounted for
The reality is that we cannot be everywhere at once
This latest episode is a reminder, as if we really needed one, of the fact that the security challenges in Haiti are complex and complicated