El Salvador-Backed Airstrike Hits Haiti Gang HQ After Troops Vanish

Helicopters backed by El Salvador launched airstrikes on Sunday against suspected strongholds of the 400 Mawozo gang on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, demolishing what officials described as the gang's headquarters and heightening tensions over the fate of four missing Salvadoran troops.^[1]

Haitian authorities said the operation was carried out by a special police task force with Salvadoran military support, while Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele announced that the raids also hit the home of 400 Mawozo leader Lanmò San Jou and sites allegedly used for kidnappings, arms trafficking and extortion.^[1] The Miami Herald, citing unnamed sources, reported that roughly 20 people may have been killed, but Haitian and Salvadoran officials have not released an official casualty count.^[1] Haiti's Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé publicly praised Bukele after the strikes and vowed that cooperation with El Salvador and other members of the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force would continue.^[1]

The air operation was launched as investigators and peacekeepers searched for four Salvadoran members of the UN-backed Haiti security mission who disappeared on October 18 after an ambush near Port-au-Prince; their burned armored vehicle was later found, prompting suspicion they had been seized or killed by gang members. The multinational security mission, requested by Haiti's government and authorized by the UN to help restore order after years of spiraling gang violence, has leaned heavily on Salvadoran expertise and hardware as Bukele seeks to export his aggressive anti-gang model that has drawn both praise for crashing homicide rates at home and criticism over mass detentions and alleged abuses.

In this latest phase, Haitian leaders have framed the cross-border partnership as a necessary escalation against gangs like 400 Mawozo, which have terrorized areas around the capital with kidnappings and roadblocks that choke off fuel, food and medical supplies. The choice to hit alleged gang hubs and the leader's residence from the air marks a sharp turn from earlier ground-focused raids and checkpoints, signaling that the UN-backed force is willing to use heavier firepower even in densely populated zones if officials believe its personnel are being targeted.

1. Fox News