Salvadoran special forces land in Haiti after gang ambush leaves four soldiers missing

How many troops arrived

The two outlets give different pictures of the deployment. The Haitian Times, citing the Associated Press, reports that 100 special forces soldiers had arrived, with 100 more expected later the same day. Jamaica Observer, citing an anonymous security source who spoke to AFP, reports that about 200 Salvadoran soldiers reached Port-au-Prince on Thursday and Friday. The GSF has not said what role the new arrivals will play or how they will fit into the operation.

The attack

The Haitian Times reports that the soldiers vanished on Oct. 18 in Santo, a neighborhood of Croix-des-Bouquets. Armed men fired on their vehicle and used explosives, setting it ablaze. Authorities said the four escaped the flames before contact was lost. Their whereabouts and condition are unknown.

Jamaica Observer cites US envoy to the United Nations Mike Waltz, who said the attackers fired hundreds of bullets and that officials believe the four survived. The two accounts also differ on the soldiers' errand. The Haitian Times says Bukele described them as abducted while returning from buying food at a supermarket. Waltz said they were heading back to base from a market.

The Haitian Times says the Chen Mechan and 400 Mawozo gangs operate in the area. Neither has claimed the attack or said whether it holds the soldiers.

Bukele's message to the gangs

President Nayib Bukele has said the four are aviation technicians, not combatants, and has demanded their release. In his words: "Return our four compatriots alive and unharmed, and everything will return to the way it was before the kidnapping." Jamaica Observer adds that on Friday he brushed aside critics' warnings about heavily armed Haitian gangsters. The same outlet says his crackdown at home has led to about 92,000 arrests.

Gang threats and an analyst's view

The Haitian Times says videos on social media show gang figures, including Wilson "Lanmò San Jou" of 400 Mawozo, warning of resistance if Salvadoran troops enter their territory on foot.

María Fernanda Arocha, an analyst at ACLED, told the outlet by email: "Haiti’s gangs have escalated their violence as they are increasingly willing and able to confront international forces directly,"

Haiti's government has called the soldiers' release a priority. Jamaica Observer reports that the GSF has about 2,000 members from six countries, against a planned 5,500.