Unverified Video Shows Haitian Gangs Battling Salvadoran Special Forces
Shortly after El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele announced a military operation Wednesday to rescue four Salvadoran aviation technicians kidnapped in conflict-ridden Haiti, reports late last week said 100 special forces operators from the Central American country had been deployed.
LOCATION: Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti OCT 22 The Gang Suppression Force says Salvadoran special forces arrived to search for 4 of their soldiers missing since an Oct. 18 gang ambush. AP: 100 arrived, 100 more due. 📍 ≈ Croix-des-Bouquets (approx. 10 km): 18.58°N, 72.23°W https://t.co/hAcrjtn1JJ
— Condition One News (@CONDITION1NEWS) October 25, 2026
The Miami Herald and the AP News reported Friday that El Salvador had deployed 100 special forces operators to Haiti to rescue the aviation technicians. By the weekend, unconfirmed footage had surfaced showing what appeared to be intense confrontations between the special forces and Haitian gangs.
Unconfirmed footage circulating on X:
IMAGENES DIFUNDIDA DEL INTENSO ENFRENTAMIENTO DE LAS BANDAS HAITIANAS LOS 400 MAWOZO CON LAS FUERZAS ESPECIALES UNIDAS HAITI Y SALVADOR ** https://t.co/f5z2g8HmE2
— Rolfy Martínez (@RolfyMartinez) October 24, 2026
Intense clashes are underway in Haiti between Salvadoran special forces and armed gangs as part of a major rescue operation authorized by President Nayib Bukele to recover four Salvadoran aviation technicians kidnapped after an ambush. https://t.co/kQypPuBF24
— Cartel Watch (@CartelWatchNet) October 24, 2026
"We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too," Bukele wrote Wednesday on X, addressing gangs in Creole and demanding the safe return of the four aviation technicians.
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
The rescue mission comes as gangs have expanded their control beyond Haiti's capital, complicating efforts to organize overdue nationwide elections.
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 gangs.
More than 1,000 people were killed and over 100 kidnapped between July and September, according to UN data.