El Salvador-backed air assault destroys Haiti gang headquarters amid search for missing troops
El Salvador's president on Tuesday said the country's military helped deliver a devastating air assault against the headquarters of one of Haiti's most powerful criminal gangs, which has been linked to mass kidnappings, weapons trafficking and extortion.
Airstrikes targeted strongholds belonging to 400 Mawozo and the home of its leader, Lanmò San Jou, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said.
The attack took place Sunday near Port-au-Prince and was carried out by a Haitian police task force backed by Salvadoran troops, The Miami Herald reported.
BUKELE WARNS HAITIAN GANG LEADERS THAT HIS FORCES WILL 'FINISH' THEM AS HE DID IN EL SALVADOR
The operation appears to be part of an ongoing military effort in response to the disappearance of four Salvadoran members of a U.N.-backed security mission abducted in a gang ambush near Port-au-Prince Oct. 18.
"We kept our promise," Bukele said in a post on X.
Videos showed several helicopters launching airstrikes against multiple compounds inside sprawling complexes. Dozens of people were also seen fleeing the properties on foot and motorbikes after the strikes.
"Most of them ran away without even trying to fight. What cowards!" Bukele said.
As many as 20 people are believed to have been killed in the operation, according to The Miami Herald, citing anonymous sources.
Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé on Tuesday thanked Bukele for his commitment to tackling the country's long-running gang crisis and restoring state control, while praising the efforts of the U.N.-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF), the Haitian National Police, the Haitian Armed Forces and their international partners.
"I salute the commitment of the Salvadoran forces in the fight against gangs," he said.
"Hats off to President Nayib Bukele @nayibbukele for your support and commitment to the national fight against gangs. Haiti, El Salvador, GSF: same fight, same determination! The collaboration will continue. THE GANGS WILL GET NO SLEEP!"
After an Oct. 18 ambush, authorities recovered a burned armored vehicle with no trace of the four missing Salvadoran personnel, prompting El Salvador to deploy thousands of additional troops to assist in the search.
While Salvadoran officials believe the men were abducted and survived, one gang leader claimed they were dead.
The disappearance has become a national priority for Bukele, who has warned Haitian gang leaders that El Salvador is prepared to use overwhelming force if the men are not returned alive.