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Salvadoran President: Bodies Found in Haiti Not Missing Soldiers
Confirmed
In Short: El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele says four bodies handed over by Haitian authorities are not the missing Salvadoran soldiers.
El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele announced on Wednesday that the four bodies handed over to Salvadoran forces in Haiti were not the missing soldiers, stating, 'They are not our men.' The bodies were initially claimed by a non-governmental organization to be four El Salvadoran air technicians who had been kidnapped by gangs in Haiti.
Bukele detailed the discrepancies in the remains, noting that one body was that of a child and another was wearing a uniform from a different country's army. He also mentioned that one of the bodies was of a person significantly taller than the missing air technicians, and another was wearing a uniform not from the Salvadoran military.
The Salvadoran president had dispatched a military contingent of approximately 450 soldiers to Haiti after the four men vanished following an ambush by 'heavily armed criminal groups.' Bukele had previously stated that the mission's sole purpose was to rescue the four men alive.
The initial reports, including one from the New York Times, suggested that the bodies found on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince were those of the missing Salvadoran technicians. However, Bukele's comments cast doubt on these claims, emphasizing the need for further investigation.
The abduction occurred when the four men were ambushed and their helicopter was deployed to reach them, but these efforts were hampered by ongoing fighting in the area. The four men have been missing since they fled a burning vehicle in the Santo area of Croix-des-Bouquets, Port-au-Prince.
More than 5,700 people have been killed or injured by gangs or during operations against them in Haiti between January and September this year, according to the UN. The kidnapping of the Salvadoran soldiers comes as Haiti prepares for its first general election in more than a decade.
In a statement, the Salvadoran government emphasized that the release of the abducted soldiers is an absolute priority and that all necessary resources are being mobilized to achieve this goal. Bukele had warned Haitian gang leaders that if the soldiers are not returned alive and unharmed, it would result in a more powerful operation.
The situation remains tense, with no immediate confirmation from Haitian authorities on the status of the Salvadoran soldiers. Bukele's military operation, which included video footage of armored vehicles with shattered windows driving through smoke, underscores the complexity and danger of the mission.
What this adds
The discrepancy between the bodies handed over and the missing soldiers highlights the challenges in identifying the remains and the need for further investigation.
What's confirmed
- SAN SALVADOR (AP) — El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele said Wednesday he had launched a military operation to rescue four Salvadoran aviation technicians kidnapped by gangs in Haiti, warning of a more forceful response if they are not released alive and unharmed.
- Addressing Haitian gang leaders, Bukele demanded that they return the Salvadorans “alive, unharmed” and warned that, if they do so, “everything will go back to the way it was before the kidnapping.” If not, the Salvadoran leader — who drew international attention for his contentious war on his own country’s gangs — said it would result in a more powerful operation.
- No one has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Salvadoran troops and it comes as Haiti prepares for its first general election in more than a decade.
- It wasn’t immediately clear if Haitian authorities received confirmation that the Salvadoran soldiers are alive.
- “The release of the abducted soldiers is an absolute priority, and all necessary resources are being mobilized to achieve this goal,” the government said.
- In his post, the Salvadoran leader shared video of armored vehicles with shattered windows driving through plumes of smoke.
- The four Salvadoran soldiers have been missing since they fled the burning vehicle in the Santo area of Croix-des-Bouquets, Port-au-Prince.
- It was not immediately clear if Bukele intended any further action to be carried out by Salvadoran, Haitian or international security forces in the area.
What's still developing
- Nothing material beyond the confirmed record.