El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has warned Haitian gang leaders of a stronger military response if four kidnapped Salvadoran aviation technicians are not released alive and unharmed.
Bukele announced on Wednesday, October 21, that a military operation had been launched to rescue the men, who disappeared following an attack in Haiti three days earlier. Intense fighting had hampered previous recovery efforts.
The technicians fled a burning armoured vehicle after gunmen attacked it in the Santo area of Croix-des-Bouquets, near Port-au-Prince, on Sunday.
Bukele said the Salvadoran contingent’s primary role was to support medical evacuations, with pilots and technical personnel deployed. He warned that failure to return the hostages safely would trigger a more powerful operation.
Haiti’s government has declared the men’s release an absolute priority and said resources were being mobilised in coordination with the international Gang Suppression Force.
No group had claimed responsibility for the attack, and it remained unclear whether Haitian authorities had confirmed the hostages were alive.







