Haitian gang ambush prompts Bukele to launch major military deployment

Key Points:

• El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has deployed 2,000 troops to Haiti following the disappearance of four Salvadoran military aviation technicians after an ambush near Port-au-Prince, aiming to recover them alive and confront Haitian gangs.
• The technicians were part of the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force in Haiti; their armored vehicle was found burned, but the men remain missing, with conflicting claims about their fate from El Salvador, Haiti, and gang leaders.
• Bukele's intervention has the support of Haiti's transitional government and former US President Donald Trump, but faces criticism from human rights advocates and gang leaders who warn of escalating violence and civilian harm.
• Bukele compares his anti-gang strategy in El Salvador, credited with drastically reducing homicides, to the situation in Haiti, expressing confidence that a similar approach can help restore control in Port-au-Prince despite ongoing challenges.
• Gang leader Wilson Joseph, accused of hostage-taking and wanted by the US, denies responsibility for the ambush and warns of reprisals; Bukele dismisses such warnings as attempts by gangs to avoid accountability.