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El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has announced a military operation to rescue four air force personnel who went missing in Haiti after being ambushed by heavily armed criminal groups.

Bukele warned that the military action carried out on Wednesday was only the beginning, saying the consequences would be far greater if the four men, whom he described as non-combatants, were not returned alive.

According to El Salvador’s armed forces, the personnel disappeared following an ambush in Croix-des-Bouquets, an area controlled by armed gangs. They were serving as part of the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), an international mission approved by the United Nations Security Council earlier this month to combat escalating gang violence in Haiti.

The Salvadoran contingent included pilots and technical staff whose main responsibilities were medical evacuations and saving lives rather than engaging in combat, Bukele said in a post on X.

He stressed that the operation had one clear objective: bringing all four personnel home alive and unharmed. He added that if they were returned safely, relations and operations would return to their previous state.

Bukele said the men had been kidnapped while returning from a local market after purchasing food.

A statement issued by El Salvador’s armed forces on Sunday said the group was travelling back to its camp in an armoured vehicle when it was attacked with explosives, causing the vehicle to catch fire.

No armed group has claimed responsibility for the incident so far.

Salvadoran helicopters were deployed to support rescue efforts. However, the military said attempts to reach the area by land and air had been hindered by ongoing fighting and difficult security conditions.

Before Bukele announced the military operation on Wednesday, the GSF confirmed that it was searching for the missing personnel. The force also reported engaging armed gang members with helicopter support, with preliminary reports indicating that several gang members had been killed.

The incident comes amid worsening security conditions in Haiti. Earlier this week, the United Nations warned that armed gangs were adapting to increased security operations, intensifying reprisals against civilians and expanding their influence into rural areas.

Haiti continues to face a prolonged political and economic crisis following the assassination of its president in 2021. The country has not held elections since 2016, and presidential and legislative elections scheduled for 13 December were postponed indefinitely two weeks ago.

Gang violence has devastated communities across the country. More than 5,500 people were killed in gang-related violence in Haiti in 2024, while armed groups are estimated to control around 85% of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The latest attack highlights the growing challenges facing international efforts to restore security and stability in the Caribbean nation.