PORT-AU-PRINCE — International forces in Haiti are still searching for four Salvadoran airmen who disappeared after a gang ambush on Sunday. Three days later their whereabouts remain unknown, and no armed group has claimed responsibility.
On Sunday, four aviation technicians, from El Salvador’s Task Force Libertad II, were part of the U.N.-backed Gang Suppression Force were attacked by armed gangs.
Their armored vehicle was returning to camp in the Santo area of Croix-des-Bouquets, about 12 km from Port-au-Prince, when armed criminal groups hit it with gunfire and explosives. The vehicle caught fire and all four soldiers were captured.
Salvadoran officials say they then lost contact with them.
Helicopters sent to help in search and recovery efforts came under fire, and intense fighting stopped land and air attempts to reach the captured Salvadoran.
The Salvadoran Armed Forces issued a statement Monday that was shared by the Presidency.
Haitian Gangs “Taliban” & “400 Mawozo” opening fire on United Nations Security Council helicopters. Believed to be footage taken sometime after Sunday, October 18, 2026. Sourced
The Gang Suppression Force says its personnel are continuing ground and air search operations in Santo, working with Haitian forces and in what it called close coordination with the Salvadoran government.
Salvadoran troops are working with the force’s command and international forces to locate the men.
In a Tuesday statement, the force said four of its own members (separate from the original four Salvadorans taken captive) were wounded and are receiving treatment, and that several gang members were killed or injured, without giving figures. It told residents of Santo and nearby communities to stay indoors and promised updates once information is verified.
The soldiers’ names and condition haven’t been released. Some Haitian and Dominican outlets reported five missing, but the Salvadoran military says four.
Who is Responsible
No group has claimed the attack, and the Salvadoran military and the force haven’t named one. The area is contested by three gang networks: Chèn Méchan, Kraze Barye, led by sanctioned commander Vitelhomme Innocent, and 400 Mawozo, which answers to the sanctioned Lanmo Sanjou.
Some reports link Chèn Méchan to the capture, but that is unverified, and the force has confirmed only that vehicles were burned.
Romain Le Cour of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime says that if the soldiers are being held, the gangs gain leverage in negotiations and against security forces.
U.N. Security Council
At a Security Council meeting on Haiti on Monday, U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz said the troops are believed to be alive. “We believe all four men survived, but they remain missing,” he said, adding that the U.S. and the force remain committed to them. He said the vehicle was struck by hundreds of bullets and explosives and promised, “We will bring them home.”
Gangs that believe they can intimidate the coalition into leaving, he said, “have made a terrible mistake.”
El Salvador’s U.N. ambassador, Egriselda López, condemned the ambush and said the attackers used firearms and explosive devices to set the vehicle on fire. She urged the Council to mobilize all available resources to find the missing personnel.
The force’s special representative, Jack Christofides, told the Council that attacks on international contingents have risen in recent weeks and that gangs are “testing” the force, expanding into areas such as Kenscoff and Artibonite.
U.N. envoy Carlos Ruiz Massieu said the ambush shows the growing risks as gangs retaliate against security operations.
The Security Council authorized the force in September 2025 for up to 5,550 personnel. Roughly 2,000 are deployed so far, from countries including Chad, Jamaica, Guatemala and El Salvador.
The Council has since renewed its mandate.
For El Salvador, whose troops are among the most visible contributors, the missing airmen are the first serious test of its commitment in Haiti.
Sociedad Media published its initial reporting on the situation in Haiti on Monday, October 19, 2026. Search & rescue operations remain ongoing, and the information found in this article could be subject to change in the following hours.
