El Salvador's president says troops destroyed Haitian gang's headquarters near Port-au-Prince
Media reports say as many as 20 people died, which authorities have not confirmed, and Amnesty International wants the deployment agreement made public.
El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, said on X on Tuesday that Salvadoran forces destroyed the house of Lanmò San Jou, leader of Haiti's 400 Mawozo gang, and the gang's headquarters. His video shows helicopters firing on a compound, with people running away. Bukele said most gang members fled without a fight.
The site is reportedly in Croix-des-Bouquets, near Port-au-Prince. The Miami Herald reported that the operation took place Sunday and that a Haitian police task force carried it out with Salvadoran troops. As many as 20 people were reportedly killed, but authorities have not confirmed that, and the damage has not been independently confirmed.
Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé thanked Bukele and said the cooperation will continue. El Salvador has sent more than 2,000 troops to Haiti since four Salvadoran personnel disappeared in an ambush on Oct. 18. Most of them are not part of the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force.
Amnesty International urged both governments to publish the agreement governing the deployment and to make sure operations follow international human rights law. Fils-Aimé is due to visit El Salvador on Nov. 16-17, according to Breitbart News, to discuss the future of the troops.
- more than 2,000 troopsSalvadoran troops deployed to HaitiUPI
- as many as 20people reportedly killed, per media reports, not confirmed by authoritiesBBC News
- approximately 200Salvadoran personnel under the Gang Suppression Force mandate, per UN spokesman Stéphane DujarricUPI
- fourSalvadoran military personnel missing since the Oct. 18 ambushUPI
Three sides of the story
10 news outlets reported this · Little coverage from liberal outlets
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Liberal1 outlet
Human rights concerns over El Salvador's Haiti deployment
Al Jazeera English's main report, headlined "Salvadoran troops target Haitian gang, leaving 20 dead," opens with Bukele's announcement on X and sets it against international calls to respect human rights law. It says the operation was reportedly conducted Sunday by Haitian police with Salvadoran support, and reportedly killed 20 people. Amnesty International's Ana Piquer is quoted at length, asking both governments to make the agreement public and to hold "prompt, independent and impartial investigations."
The outlet notes that the vast majority of the roughly 2,000 Salvadoran troops are not in the Gang Suppression Force, which raises concerns about rules of engagement. It adds that Bukele first described the deployment as a search for four missing soldiers but has since suggested he also aims to wipe out Haiti's gangs, as in El Salvador, where his campaign drew abuse allegations. A shorter Al Jazeera item says Salvadoran forces launched rocket fire at a site allegedly owned by the gang's leader.
- Al Jazeera English: Salvadoran troops target Haitian gang, leaving 20 dead
- Al Jazeera English: El Salvador fires missiles on Haitian gang hideout
Center5 outlets
Bukele's claim, unverified damage, and legal questions
BBC News headlines that the headquarters was destroyed, "El Salvador's president says," and calls it the first time Salvadoran forces have struck a Haitian target since the troops arrived. It says the BBC could not verify Bukele's video, there is no official confirmation of the damage, and Haitians question whether the site was destroyed or only damaged. It cites the Miami Herald on the leader's absence and on the police drone task force.
UPI's "Watch" report gives the Haitian prime minister's thanks and the UN's figure of about 200 Salvadoran personnel under the mission's mandate, and says most Salvadoran troops are not part of the mission. It notes that the extent of the damage "has not been independently confirmed." Both outlets include Amnesty International's call for Salvadoran operations to comply with international law.
BBC also notes that doubts have been voiced over whether the troops' actions were operationally legitimate and lawful, while human rights groups contend that Bukele's crackdown at home breaks the law.
Conservative4 outlets
Bukele's promised strike and Haitian backing for it
Fox News headlines that an El Salvador-backed "air assault" destroyed the gang's headquarters amid the search for the missing troops and describes it as "devastating." It opens with Bukele's Tuesday announcement, quotes him saying "We kept our promise," and cites the Miami Herald for the Sunday date and the toll of as many as 20 dead. It adds that one gang leader claimed the four missing men were dead.
Breitbart News ties the strike to Bukele's request on X for the house's exact address. It reports, citing Le Nouvelliste, that the Haitian prime minister said criminals "will face relentless action," and says Haiti-focused outlets detailed marches in support of Salvadoran troops. It notes that Bukele did not say whether the crowdsourced information was used.
Breitbart also reports that gang leader Wilson Joseph wrote to the UN asking it to mediate. Both quote Bukele's taunt that the gang members ran away.
- Conservative outlets did not mentionAmnesty International's call for both governments to publish the deployment agreement and follow human rights law Reported by Al Jazeera English, UPI, BBC News
- Liberal outlets did not mentionHaitian Prime Minister Fils-Aimé's public thanks to Bukele and pledge to keep cooperating Reported by UPI, BBC News, Fox News, Breitbart News
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All sources: 14 articles from 10 outlets
Liberal (3)
- Al Jazeera English: El Salvador deploys armed robots to fight gangs in Haiti
- Al Jazeera English: El Salvador fires missiles on Haitian gang hideout
- Al Jazeera English: Salvadoran troops target Haitian gang, leaving 20 dead
Center (5)
- BBC News: Headquarters of Haitian gang destroyed, El Salvador's president says
- Border Report: Bukele makes political gamble with Haiti gang offensive ahead of an El Salvador's election
- Deutsche Welle: Why does El Salvador's Bukele have troops in Haiti?
- Newsweek: Machine-Gun-Armed Robot Dogs Appear in El Salvador's Haiti Offensive
- UPI: Watch: Bukele: Salvadoran troops destroyed Haitian gang headquarters
Conservative (6)
- Breitbart News: El Salvador Finds 'Several Human Skulls' in Haitian Soccer Stadium Liberated from Gangs
- Breitbart News: Nayib Bukele Destroys Haitian Gang Headquarters Identified on X Community Notes
- Daily Caller: Gangs Controlled Haiti’s Largest Stadium For Past 2 Years. Bukele’s Troops Now Occupy It
- Daily Caller: Bukele Delivers On Promise To Bomb Haitian Gang Mansion Using Crowdsourced Coordinates
- Fox News: El Salvador-backed air assault destroys Haiti gang headquarters amid search for missing troops
- Townhall: Nayib Bukele Took a Break From Airstriking Haitian Gangs to Nuke Amnesty International From Orbit
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