Travellers to Haiti Face Growing Military Presence After Gang Ambush

Three flights carrying Salvadoran soldiers arrived in Haiti on Friday, 23 October 2026, days after a group of Salvadoran troops was ambushed by gangs and went missing. One of the aircraft was a U.S. military transport plane, and two U.S. government flights also landed in the capital the same day.

Key facts

• 23 October 2026: three flights of Salvadoran military landed in Haiti, one of them a U.S. C-130 transport.
• Two U.S. government flights arrived at Port-au-Prince's Toussaint Louverture International Airport from Washington Dulles International Airport.
• The flights followed the deployment of 100 Salvadoran special forces troops earlier in the week.
• The additional deployment is expected to add another 100 special forces soldiers.
• The troops serve with a United Nations-authorized Gang Suppression Force.

What has happened?

Salvadoran soldiers were ambushed over the past weekend by members of the Chen Mechan gang, later joined by members of 400 Mawozo, another armed group. The soldiers, who form part of the aerial support El Salvador provides, remain missing.

El Salvador sent 100 special forces troops to Haiti in response to the attack. The three flights on Friday brought more troops, with the additional deployment expected to add another 100 special forces soldiers. The troops are part of an infantry company taking part in at least three rescue operations involving helicopters and ground forces, which have so far not located the missing soldiers, according to Diego Da Rin of the International Crisis Group.

What role is the United States playing?

One of the aircraft carrying Salvadoran troops, a U.S. C-130 military transport, was provided by the Pentagon at the request of the U.S. State Department, the Miami Herald learned. It was unclear on Friday evening whether the other two chartered flights carrying Salvadoran military had been provided by the U.S. government.

A spokesman at U.S. Southern Command confirmed the Pentagon's role, saying: "U.S. Southern Command confirms that a U.S. military aircraft providing logistical support arrived in Port-au-Prince." The State Department did not respond to requests about the flights.

The U.S. supports the gang-fighting force and is one of seven countries providing strategic direction and oversight, and it also coordinates which countries can participate and their deployment. U.S. officials have led negotiations with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele over his insistence on sending special-operations troops to help search for the missing soldiers, sources told the Herald.

What is happening on the ground?

Bukele has threatened gang leaders with a much larger offensive if the missing soldiers are not returned alive, Da Rin said. Military pressure is mounting, including a reported attack with explosive drones on a compound belonging to 400 Mawozo leader Lanmò San Jou. Da Rin cautioned that finding the soldiers will be difficult unless the gangs agree to hand them over.

The first of the three El Salvador aircraft landed shortly after noon on Friday, about an hour after the first of two U.S. government flights from Washington. Another Boeing 737 carrying Salvadorans landed shortly before 10 p.m. The airport was off limits to journalists, and no manifest for the flights was provided, so it was not clear who was aboard the U.S. aircraft.

What this means for travellers

The arrivals add more foreign troops to a mission responding to a growing violence crisis in Haiti. Travellers should note that Port-au-Prince's Toussaint Louverture International Airport was closed to journalists on Friday, and no flight manifests were released.

No further deployments or deadlines have been announced. The search for the missing Salvadoran soldiers continues.