Bukele Launches Military Rescue Operation For Four Salvadoran Troops Kidnapped In Haiti
El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele launched a military operation to rescue four Salvadoran aviation technicians kidnapped in conflict-ridden Haiti, warning gang leaders of more forceful action unless the Salvadorans are returned unharmed.
"Our kidnapped men are not combatants. They are aviation technicians who are part of our mission in Haiti, within the framework of an international mission. Our mission consists only of pilots and technical personnel, whose primary job is to carry out medical evacuations and save lives, not to wage war," Bukele wrote on X.
The four Salvadorans disappeared after gangs attacked their armored vehicle on Sunday in the Santo area of Croix-des-Bouquets, Port-au-Prince. They fled the vehicle after it caught fire.
Bukele said, "That is why, today, we have launched a military operation to rescue them. We have a single objective: to bring our four compatriots back home alive, without any harm."
Bukele's warning to gangs:
However, I want you, the gang leaders, to understand one thing very clearly: today's attack is nothing compared to what is coming if we do not get all four hostages back 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.
Pou chèf gang yo ak manm gang yo k ap kenbe kat konpatriyòt nou yo an otaj ann Ayiti: Mesye nou kidnape yo pa konbatan. Yo se teknisyen nan domèn avyasyon ki fè pati misyon nou ann Ayiti, nan kad yon misyon entènasyonal. Misyon nou an gen sèlman pilòt ak pèsonèl teknik, ki gen kòm travay prensipal fè evakyasyon medikal epi sove lavi moun, pa fè lagè. Men, nou te kidnape yo yon fason lach pandan yo t ap retounen apre yo te fin achte manje nan yon makèt nan zòn nan. Se poutèt sa, jodi a nou te lanse yon operasyon militè pou pote yo sekou. Nou gen yon sèl objektif: fè kat konpatriyòt nou yo retounen lakay yo vivan, san okenn mal. Men, mwen vle pou nou menm, chèf gang yo, konprann yon bagay byen klè: atak jodi a pa anyen devan sa k ap vini si nou pa remèt toule kat otaj yo vivan. Epi pa pran pawòl nou yo pou menas san fondman. Nou deja fini ak gang yo nan El Salvador, e nou kapab fini ak nou tou. Nou toujou gen tan pou evite sa. Remèt nou kat konpatriyòt nou yo vivan, san okenn mal, epi tout bagay ap retounen jan sa te ye anvan kidnaping lan. Desizyon an nan men nou.
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) October 21, 2026
Haiti's government issued a press release late Wednesday saying the "abduction" of the four Salvadorans was an "absolute priority."
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack and subsequent abduction, which come as Haiti prepares for its first general election in more than a decade.
El Salvador, Chad, Jamaica and Guatemala are among the countries contributing to an international gang suppression mission that has more than 2,000 troops deployed in Haiti. The UN authorized the deployment of up to 5,550 security personnel and more than 50 civilian staff last year in an effort to dismantle the command and control structures of the country's armed gangs.