SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Gangs in Haiti opened fire on an armored vehicle, leaving four soldiers from El Salvador unaccounted for, in the first major attack since an international anti-gang force began operations in the violence-wracked country.
The attack occurred Sunday in Croix-des-Bouquets, a once peaceful neighborhood in Port-au-Prince, the capital. The neighborhood is now controlled by violent gangs.
The Armed Forces of El Salvador said in a statement Monday that the four aviation technicians were returning to camp when the armored vehicle was attacked with explosives and set on fire.
It noted that the four men managed to flee the burning vehicle and it is working with international forces to “establish contact and determine the location of our military personnel.”
Salvadorean authorities said helicopters were dispatched to the area but they, too, came under fire as they dispersed armed men in the area.
“Multiple attempts to approach by land and air have been made, but these have been hampered by the intensity of the fighting,” the Salvadorean Armed Forces said.
The gang suppression force said in a statement that it is assessing the situation and has advised residents where the attack occurred to remain indoors.
The area where the armored vehicle was targeted is controlled by gangs including Kraze Barye, led by Vitelhomme Innocent, and 400 Mawozo, led by Lanmo Sanjou. Both gang leaders have been sanctioned by the U.N. and the U.S.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. It comes as Haiti prepares for its first general elections in more than a decade and showcases the power of armed gangs that control an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince, the capital.
Romain Le Cour, head of the Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, said that while some gangs have been under pressure ever since the gang suppression force was deployed, “others want to show that they can strike back.”
“If these soldiers are indeed being held, the groups gain edge to negotiate and to pressure the security forces,” he said.
In September 2025, the U.N. Security Council authorized a 5,550-member force to replace a former Kenya-led multinational force that struggled with a lack of funds and resources as it tried to help Haiti’s National Police quell gang violence.
The force currently has more than 1,500 troops on the ground in Haiti, including soldiers from Chad, Jamaica and Guatemala.
The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to meet Monday about Haiti, and the attack is expected to dominate the conversation.
Gang violence has displaced a record 1.5 million people across Haiti in recent years, with more than 5,700 people killed or injured from January to mid-September, and another more than 230 people kidnapped, according to the U.N.
Coto writes for the Associated Press.
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