Brief
Four Salvadoran soldiers go missing after gang attack on armored vehicle in Haiti
The attack in Croix-des-Bouquets marks the biggest assault on foreign troops since the international anti‑gang force began operations.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Gangs in Haiti opened fire on an armored vehicle in the Croix-des-Bouquets neighborhood of Port-au-Prince on Sunday, leaving four Salvadoran soldiers unaccounted for, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The four men, identified as aviation technicians from the Armed Forces of El Salvador, were returning to camp when the vehicle was hit with explosives and set ablaze. The Salvadoran military said the technicians managed to flee the burning vehicle, and helicopters dispatched to the scene also came under fire.
The area is controlled by gangs including Kraze Barye, led by Vitelhomme Innocent, and 400 Mawozo, led by Lanmo Sanjou, both sanctioned by the United Nations and the United States. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Romain Le Cour, head of the Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, told the outlet that some gangs are trying to demonstrate they can strike back, and that the soldiers’ possible capture could give gangs leverage in negotiations.
The United Nations Security Council is set to meet on Monday to discuss Haiti, and the incident is expected to dominate the conversation.
Key facts
- Four Salvadoran soldiers were missing after a gang attack on an armored vehicle in Port-au-Prince. (latimes.com)
- The attack occurred in Croix-des-Bouquets, a neighborhood now controlled by gangs. (latimes.com)
- Gangs Kraze Barye and 400 Mawozo, led by Vitelhomme Innocent and Lanmo Sanjou, operate in the area. (latimes.com)
- The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet Monday to discuss Haiti. (latimes.com)
Sources
- [1] latimes.com — originally reported as “Gangs in Haiti target foreign troops in biggest attack since new force began operations”
