El Salvador launching military operation to rescue hostages held by Haitian gangs

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele said Wednesday he had launched a military operation to rescue four Salvadoran aviation technicians kidnapped by gangs in Haiti, warning of a more forceful response if they are not released alive and unharmed.The announcement comes three days after gangs in Haiti opened fire on an armored vehicle over the weekend, marking the first major attack since an international gang suppression force began operations in the violence-wracked Caribbean country.After fleeing the burning vehicle in the Santo area of Croix-des-Bouquets, Port-au-Prince, the four men went missing.Addressing Haitian gang leaders, Bukele demanded that they return the Salvadorans “alive, unharmed” and warned that, if they do so, “everything will go back to the way it was before the kidnapping.” If not, the Salvadoran leader — who drew international attention for his contentious war on his own country’s gangs — said it would result in a more powerful operation.“Today’s attack is nothing compared to what is coming if they do not release the four hostages alive.

And do not take our words as empty threats,” he said.It was not immediately clear if Bukele intended any further action to be carried out by Salvadoran forces or wider security forces present in the area.Haiti’s government issued a news release on Wednesday evening saying that the “abduction” of the Salvadoran soldiers is an “absolute priority.”It noted that a high-level meeting was held at the prime minister’s office “to assess the ongoing interventions and determine the necessary measures to strengthen operations, in close collaboration with the Gang Repression Force.”“The release of the abducted soldiers is an absolute priority, and all necessary resources are being mobilized to achieve this goal,” the government said.It wasn’t immediately clear if Haitian authorities received confirmation that the soldiers are alive.A spokesperson for the gang suppression force did...