El Salvador’s president said Tuesday that Salvadoran military personnel helped Haitian forces carry out airstrikes against the headquarters of 400 Mawozo, one of Haiti’s most powerful criminal gangs. The group has been linked to kidnappings, weapons trafficking and extortion.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said the strikes hit several gang strongholds and the home of its leader, Lanmò San Jou. The operation took place Sunday near Port-au-Prince and involved a Haitian police task force supported by Salvadoran troops.
The assault appears tied to efforts to find four Salvadoran members of a U.N.-backed security mission who went missing after a gang ambush near the Haitian capital on Oct. 18. “We kept our promise,” Bukele said in a post on X.
Videos showed helicopters striking several compounds. Afterward, dozens of people were seen fleeing on foot and by motorbike. Bukele said many had run without putting up a fight.
About 20 people may have been killed, according to reports citing anonymous sources. The figure has not been independently confirmed.
Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé thanked Bukele for supporting the fight against gangs and efforts to restore government control. He also praised the U.N.-backed Gang Suppression Force, Haiti’s police and armed forces, and international partners.
After the Oct. 18 ambush, authorities found a burned armored vehicle but no sign of the four missing Salvadoran personnel. El Salvador then sent thousands of additional troops to help search for them.
Salvadoran officials believe the men were abducted and may still be alive, though a gang leader has claimed they were killed. Their disappearance has become a 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.
