World·Haiti

El Salvador rushes about 2,000 troops to Haiti after four Salvadoran members of a UN-backed force went missing in a gang ambush

Published 6:00 AM CT, Friday, October 30, 2026 · Updated 6:08 AM CT
In the 6 AM CT update

Around 2,000 Salvadoran soldiers were in Haiti as of Wednesday night, a security official told Reuters, and two sources said the force would for now be capped at 2,500. The deployment came days after four Salvadoran members of a UN-backed force went missing in a gang ambush and is the first major overseas test of President Nayib Bukele's anti-gang tactics, Reuters reported. Authorities have not clarified the troops' command or rules of engagement.

• El Salvador
• Haiti
• Nayib Bukele
• Gangs
• Troop deployment
• UN-backed force
• Caribbean
• Security