El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has announced a military operation to rescue four hostages being held by Haitian gangs. The hostages, who are aviation technicians, were taken after visiting a market in Haiti.
What happened
President Bukele stated that the operation would not escalate if the hostages were returned safely. However, he warned the gang leaders that if the hostages were not returned alive, they would face a larger military operation. The president emphasized that the primary objective is to bring the hostages back home alive and without harm.
The operation is a response to gang attacks on a gang suppression force consisting of over 2,000 troops from El Salvador, Chad, Jamaica, and Guatemala. The US ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, has also condemned the gang's actions, stating that their days of operating with impunity are numbered.
President Bukele has a history of taking a hard line against organized crime in El Salvador, which has led to a decrease in crime rates. However, humanitarian groups have accused him of violating human rights and implementing an authoritarian state.
