El Salvador sends troops to Haiti to rescue four service members

By Caitlin Stephen Hu, Michael Rios, CNN

(CNN) — El Salvador has deployed troops to Haiti to try to rescue four Salvadoran service members believed to have been captured by Haitian gangs, according to a spokesperson for the UN-authorized multinational security mission in Haiti known as the Gang Suppression Force (GSF).

The missing service members, described as non-combatant aviation technicians that were supporting the GSF mission, were ambushed by gangs on October 18, Salvadoran officials have said.

The GSF has been carrying out a dayslong operation to try to find them. The effort has resulted in armed clashes that have left at least seven gang members dead and four GSF personnel wounded, the GSF has said.

A spokesperson for the security mission confirmed to CNN on Thursday Salvadoran troops had arrived in Haiti to support the effort.

The Miami Herald first reported that a 100-strong team was deployed. El Salvador has not commented on the specific details of the mission.

It comes a day after Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele announced that his country had launched an unspecified “military operation” to rescue the missing men.

Bukele, who has carried out a brutal crackdown on gangs in his own country, warned Haitian gang members that they would face a more severe response if they didn’t release the service members alive.

“And do not take our word for empty threats. We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too,” he said on X.

Gang leader Lanmo Sanjou issued a response to Bukele on Thursday, filming himself with large quantities of ammunition and warning that his group would “fight to stay alive.”

The GSF was established by the UN Security Council in 2025 to help Haiti fight the gangs plaguing the country. According to the resolution adopted at that time, the force consists of 5,500 military or police personnel and 50 civilians from various nations. El Salvador is one of the countries that agreed to provide personnel. Bukele says their primary job is to carry out medical evacuations.

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CNN’s Mauricio Torres contributed to this report.