El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, announced on X that Salvadoran troops and Haitian police had carried out a combined ground and air assault on a complex in the suburb of Croix‑des‑Bouquets, which the Salvadoran government claims is the headquarters of the 400 Mawozo gang. The attack, the first time Salvadoran forces have struck a Haitian target, followed the deployment of more than 2,000 soldiers to Port‑au‑Prince last month to rescue four Salvadoran technicians who had been abducted by gang members.
Video posted by Bukele shows helicopters firing on the compound while men flee the scene. The Salvadoran president said the strike “destroyed the house of gang leader Lanmò San Jou and the 400 Mawozo gang’s headquarters.” The gang’s leader, Wilson “Lanmò San Jou” Joseph, was not present at the time of the attack, according to the Miami Herald.
While the Salvadoran military claims the operation was a success, Haitian authorities have not confirmed the extent of the damage or the number of casualties. Some reports suggest up to 20 people may have been killed, but no official figures have been released. Haitian police, supported by Salvadoran soldiers, were involved in the operation, as reported by the Miami Herald.
Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils‑Aimé praised the Salvadoran troops’ commitment to the fight against gangs and pledged continued cooperation with the United Nations‑backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF) to restore state authority in Haiti. “The gangs will get no sleep,” he added.
The strike comes after the Salvadoran government vowed to bring the four abducted technicians home alive and warned the gang to release them immediately or face sustained military pressure. The GSF, initially led by Chadian soldiers, has been working with troops from several nations to combat gang violence in Haiti.
Source: BBC World
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