Four soldiers from UN-backed force missing after gang attack in Haiti

Four soldiers from El Salvador are unaccounted for after being attacked by heavily-armed gangs in Haiti.

The country's armed forces said in a statement that the four aviation technicians were returning to camp when their armoured vehicle was attacked with explosives and set on fire.

The military 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".

It is the first major attack since an international gang suppression force began operations in Haiti.

The suppression force was in 2025 authorised by the UN Security Council 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 attack occurred Sunday in Croix-des-Bouquets, a community in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince.

Authorities said that helicopters were dispatched to the area but they also 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 Salvadoran military said.

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Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, condemned the attack during the UN Security Council meeting on Haiti.

"We believe the four men survived, but they do remain unaccounted for," he said. "We will bring you home."

Mr Waltz said that gangs attacked the armoured vehicle with "hundreds of bullets and explosives".

"To the gangs and gang leaders who carried out this cowardly attack, if you think you're going to intimidate this coalition into retreat, you have made a terrible mistake," he said.

The gang suppression force said in a statement that it's assessing the situation and has advised residents where the attack occurred to remain indoors.

"Gangs are testing the gang suppression force," Jack Christofides, the force's special representative, said at the UN Monday as he noted that attacks against the force have recently increased.

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 since the suppression force was deployed, "others want to show that they can strike back".

"If these soldiers are indeed being held, the groups gain (an) edge to negotiate and to pressure the security forces," he said.

(c) Sky News 2026: Four soldiers from UN-backed force missing after gang attack in Haiti