Key facts
- Four Salvadoran members of an international security force are being held hostage by Haitian gangs.
- El Salvador has launched a military operation to rescue the hostages.
- The four individuals are aviation technicians, not combatants, tasked with medical evacuations.
- The hostages went missing Sunday after their armored vehicle was ambushed.
El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele announced on Wednesday that Haitian gangs were holding four Salvadoran members of an international UN-backed security force hostage. Bukele stated that a military operation had been launched to bring them back unharmed. The four individuals, described as aviation technicians responsible for medical evacuations rather than combatants, went missing on Sunday. They disappeared after their armored vehicle was ambushed by armed gangs on the outskirts of the capital while returning to their base from a market. Security officials confirmed the incident. The Gang Suppression Force, which aims to assist Haitian police in combating powerful gangs, had previously announced efforts to recover the missing Salvadorans, but intense fighting in the area had limited access. Haitian gangs have increased their control over the capital and surrounding regions in recent years, exploiting a political vacuum, widespread extortion, and a flow of illegal arms.