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El Salvador Strikes Haitian Gang HQ, Haitian PM Praises Effort
· Confirmed
In Short: Despite the conflicting reports, both outlets agree that El Salvador has taken a significant military action against the 400 Mawozo gang, and that Haiti's Prime Minister has praised the effort.
Nayib Bukele praises El Salvador's brutal strikes on Haitian gang compound leaving 20 dead.
Nayib Bukele says Salvadoran troops destroyed gang HQ in Haiti • FRANCE 24 English. FRANCE 24 English
Posting on X, Fils-Aimé thanked the Salvadorean military's commitment 'in the fight against gangs' and said the two nations would continue to work together with the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force to regain control of the territory.
El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele announced that his military had destroyed the headquarters of Haiti's 400 Mawozo gang, leaving 20 dead, in an operation aimed at rescuing four missing Salvadoran aviation technicians.
The operation, which took place on Sunday, October 25, 2026, was the first military action by El Salvador on a Haitian target since deploying over 2,000 soldiers to Haiti last month.
In Creole, Bukele said, 'We kept our promise,' adding that the alleged gang members 'ran away without even trying to fight.'
The BBC has not been able to verify the video posted by Bukele, nor whether the property is indeed the headquarters of the 400 Mawozo, Haiti's largest criminal gang.
The Haitian Times reported that neither Haitian authorities nor Salvadoran forces have publicly confirmed the operation’s outcome, and no official photographs or videos showing the property’s condition have been released.
The Gang Suppression Force, an international force reorganized in October 2025, focuses on assisting the Haitian National Police, protecting critical infrastructure, and restoring order in urban centers controlled by armed coalitions.
The United Nations reported that over 5,700 people have been killed or injured in Haiti due to gang violence between January and September 2026.
Al Jazeera noted that the vast majority of troops are not participating in the United Nations-backed Gang Suppression Force, raising concerns about their rules of engagement.
Bukele had previously threatened to wipe out Haiti's gangs if they did not release the Salvadoran hostages, and he warned that a more powerful operation would follow if the hostages were not returned alive and unharmed.
The operation was reportedly conducted on Sunday by Haitian police with support from Salvadoran troops, and resulted in the killing of 20 people.
Salvadoran troops backed the police operation ahead of the Haitian prime minister’s visit to El Salvador.
Background
El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele announced that his military had destroyed the headquarters of Haiti's 400 Mawozo gang, leaving 20 dead, in an operation aimed at rescuing four missing Salvadoran aviation technicians.
What's confirmed
- El Salvador's president posted a video on X of the strikes on a complex he said is the headquarters of 400 Mawozo Haiti's Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé has praised "the commitment of the Salvadorean forces in the fight against gangs" after a joint strike on a house allegedly used by the leader of the 400 Mawozo gang.
- A small contingent of Salvadorean troops has been in Haiti since January 2025 as part of a multinational force deployed to suppress gang violence.
- The BBC has not been able to verify the video posted by Bukele, nor whether the property is indeed the headquarters of the 400 Mawozo, Haiti's largest criminal gang, which is infamous for carrying out kidnappings for ransom.
- Writing in Creole, Bukele said "we kept our promise", adding that the alleged gang members "ran away without even trying to fight".
What's still developing
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- "We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too," he wrote in Creole, referring to his crackdown on gang violence in his own country.
- NPR reported that the U.N.-backed force is still fighting gangs in the community where the attack occurred, warning residents to remain indoors.
- The announcement comes as Haiti’s prime minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aime, prepares to visit El Salvador next week to discuss the future of Salvadoran troops in his gang-plagued Caribbean nation.