El Salvador-backed air assault destroys Haiti gang headquarters amid search for missing troops

The assault targeted strongholds belonging to 400 Mawozo and the home of its leader, Lanmò San Jou, near Port-au-Prince. Videos showed helicopters launching airstrikes against multiple compounds inside sprawling complexes, with dozens of people seen fleeing on foot and motorbikes.

President Bukele said the operation destroyed a major gang headquarters used for kidnappings, weapons trafficking and extortion. He added, 'Most of them ran away without even trying to fight. What cowards!'

The attack is part of an ongoing military effort in response to the disappearance of four Salvadoran members of a U.N.-backed security mission, who were abducted in a gang ambush near Port-au-Prince on Oct. 18.

Search for missing troops

Following the Oct. 18 ambush, authorities recovered a burned armored vehicle with no trace of the four missing Salvadoran personnel. While Salvadoran officials believe the men were abducted and survived, one gang leader claimed they were dead.

The disappearance has become a national priority for Bukele, who has warned Haitian gang leaders that El Salvador is prepared to use overwhelming force if the men are not returned alive. He said, 'We kept our promise.'

Bukele deployed thousands of additional troops to assist in the search, and the operation appears to be a direct response to this national priority.

International response

Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé on Tuesday thanked Bukele for his commitment to tackling the country's long-running gang crisis and restoring state control. He praised the efforts of the U.N.-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF), the Haitian National Police, the Haitian Armed Forces and their international partners.

Possibly twenty people are believed to have been killed in the operation, according to The Miami Herald, citing anonymous sources.