Bukele threatens Haitian gangs over 4 Salvadorans held hostage

El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele threatened Haitian gangs on Wednesday with a broader military offensive if they fail to release four Salvadoran aviation technicians who are being held hostage in Haiti.

“Today's attack is nothing compared to what is coming if you do not return all four hostages alive,” he wrote on US social media company X.

Bukele said his government launched a military operation to rescue the men, adding that the priority was to bring them home alive and unharmed.

The president said the technicians were part of an international mission in Haiti focused on medical evacuations and saving lives, rather than combat operations.

He accused the gangs of kidnapping the men while they were returning from buying food at a supermarket.

Bukele warned gang leaders that the operation Wednesday was only the beginning if the hostages were not safely returned.

He also invoked his government's crackdown on criminal gangs in El Salvador, warning Haitian groups that his country could take similar action against them.

“We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too,” said Bukele, adding that the groups still had time to avoid escalation.

The four Salvadorans were deployed as part of the international Gang Suppression Force, which supports Haitian security forces in combating armed criminal groups.

They went missing after an ambush on Sunday, when their armored vehicle came under fire and was hit with explosives near Croix-des-Bouquets, outside the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The vehicle caught fire, and efforts to locate the personnel have been hampered by continued fighting in the area.

The incident underscores the security challenges facing the international mission as gangs maintain a strong presence in parts of Haiti.