Bukele announces military operation to rescue four Salvadorans in Haiti
The service members disappeared after an attack on their armored vehicle. El Salvador's president warned of a larger offensive if they were not returned alive.
El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, announced a military operation in Haiti to rescue four missing Salvadoran service members. The initiative followed an attack on their vehicle and included a warning that a broader offensive would follow if they were not returned alive. The stated purpose is to recover the four men.
The Salvadorans disappeared Sunday, October 18, after armed men attacked their armored vehicle in the Santo area of Croix-des-Bouquets. Salvadoran military authorities said explosives struck the vehicle and it caught fire. The men were traveling in an armored military vehicle when the incident occurred.
Bukele said Wednesday, October 21, that he had launched the operation to recover the four military aviation technicians, three days after their disappearance. He presented it as a rescue mission, not as an operation with another stated objective.
Bukele said his words should not be understood as empty threats and added that after confronting gangs in El Salvador, his forces could do so in Haiti. The statement formed part of his warning concerning the missing service members.
Bukele's condition was that the men be handed over alive; otherwise, he anticipated a much larger offensive. The announcement therefore combined the rescue objective with a threat to intensify the response if that demand was not met.