Four Salvadoran technicians unaccounted for after Haitian gangs target foreign troops in biggest attack since force began operations

Attack leaves four missing

The assault happened in Croix-des-Bouquets, a community in Haiti’s capital that is now under gang control. El Salvador’s armed forces said the technicians were heading back to camp when explosives struck their armored vehicle and it caught fire.

The military said the four men got out of the vehicle and that it was working with international forces to find them. Salvadoran authorities sent helicopters to the area, but said armed men fired on them as they dispersed fighters.

El Salvador’s military said attempts to reach the area by land and air were hindered by intense fighting. U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz told the U.N. Security Council that officials believed the four had survived, but did not know where they were.

Warnings at the Security Council

Waltz said the vehicle was hit with hundreds of bullets and explosives and condemned the attack. He warned gang leaders that the assault would not force the coalition to withdraw.

Haiti’s deputy permanent representative to the U.N., Wien-Weibert Arthus, said the weapons and ammunition used by gangs come from outside Haiti. He called the country’s security problems complex and said he hoped the missing men would return safely to their families.

The suppression force said it was assessing events and urged residents near the attack to stay indoors. Its special representative, Jack Christofides, said assaults against the force had increased recently and that gangs were testing it.

Gang violence and force

Christofides said gangs had carried out revenge killings in some places after Haitian and international operations. He also said they had expanded into areas including Kenscoff and the Artibonite region, adding that the force could not be everywhere at once.

The U.N. reports that gang violence has displaced nearly 1.5 million people in Haiti. More than 5,700 people were killed or injured from January to mid-September, and more than 230 others were kidnapped, according to the U.N.

Croix-des-Bouquets is controlled by gangs including Chèn Méchan, Kraze Barye and 400 Mawozo. The U.N. and the U.S. have sanctioned the leaders of the latter two groups, Vitelhomme Innocent and Lanmo Sanjou.

Force size and response

The U.N. Security Council authorized a 5,550-member gang suppression force in September 2025. It replaced a Kenya-led multinational force that had struggled with funding and resources while supporting Haiti’s National Police.

More than 2,000 troops are now on the ground in Haiti, including personnel from Chad, Jamaica and Guatemala. Christofides said the force was making a difference with its available resources and that authorities had seen early signs of reduced gang influence in some areas.