official (Armed Forces of El Salvador, Oct 19; Gang Suppression Force) · media (AP; Al Jazeera)
Four Salvadoran soldiers are missing in Haiti after gangs blow up their armoured vehicle
Four soldiers climbed out of a burning armoured vehicle north of Port-au-Prince and have not been found.
Key facts
- Missing
- 4 Salvadoran soldiers, aviation technicians with the Gang Suppression Force (Armed Forces of El Salvador)
- Attack
- Gangs hit their armoured vehicle with explosives in Croix-des-Bouquets, Sunday Oct 18; the soldiers escaped the burning vehicle
- Search
- Land and air approaches hampered by fighting; helicopters fired on (Armed Forces of El Salvador)
- Force
- More than 1,500 troops on the ground; operations began June 1 (UN)
The intensity of the fighting has hampered these.
Armed Forces of El Salvador, on rescue attempts, Oct 19
Note
Gangs attacked an armoured vehicle carrying soldiers of the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force with explosives in Croix-des-Bouquets, north of Port-au-Prince, on Sunday, October 18. Four Salvadoran soldiers, aviation technicians returning to camp, escaped the burning vehicle and are missing, El Salvador's armed forces said on Monday.
Helicopters sent to establish contact were fired on. The Salvadoran statement said multiple attempts to reach the soldiers by land and air had been hampered by the intensity of the fighting. The force told residents to stay indoors.
It is the first major attack on the force since it began operations on June 1. The area is held by gangs including Kraze Barye and 400 Mawozo, whose leaders are under UN and US sanctions.
Four people are somewhere in that ground, and the fighting has not let anyone in.
Why it matters
It is the first major attack on the UN-backed force, in an area held by sanctioned gangs, weeks before Haiti's first general election in more than a decade.
Sources
Primary + secondary attribution as listed.
More: Armed conflict
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