El Salvador Sends 100 Special Forces Troops to Haiti to Rescue Abducted Soldiers

El Salvador dispatched 100 special forces soldiers to Haiti on Thursday to rescue four missing Salvadorean aviation technicians abducted by gangs, according to two officials who spoke to the Associated Press. The commandos arrived one day after Salvadorean President Nayib Bukele announced the military operation and issued a direct ultimatum to Haitian gang leaders in Creole. Writing Wednesday on X, Bukele stated that the mission had a sole aim: bringing the four compatriots home alive and unharmed. He added that El Salvador had already eliminated its own gangs and warned Haitian groups they could meet the same fate. The four hostages, who were part of a United Nations-backed gang suppression force, were ambushed and taken on Sunday while shopping for food. The deployment marks an unusual cross-border intervention by the Central American nation, whose hardline security policies under Bukele have drawn international attention.