El Salvador sends about 1,000 soldiers to Haiti after four go missing

A roughly 1,000-strong Salvadoran deployment has arrived in Haiti in recent days, according to a Haitian security official.

The move follows the disappearance of four Salvadoran members of a UN-backed force after a gang ambush near Port-au-Prince on Oct.

18.

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele said the four were air force technicians and announced a military operation to find them.

A gang leader has denied holding them and said his group was not responsible for the attack.

Armed gangs control much of the capital and nearby areas, and violence has displaced nearly 1.5 million people.

Haiti has gone years without elected leaders and has struggled to secure foreign help against the gangs.

The new troops’ commander and length of stay are unclear, and Bukele has not said how many soldiers he plans to send.