Bodies of ambushed Salvadoran soldiers found in Haiti, New York Times reports

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Oct 24 (Reuters) – Bodies believed to be those of four Salvadoran soldiers missing since an ambush by armed gangs in Haiti have been found outside the capital, Port-au-Prince, ​the New York Times reported on Saturday, citing two ‌people close to the security mission.

The newspaper said the remains were recovered on Saturday and were badly burned, meaning autopsies would be needed to confirm their identities. It said the bodies were handed over at the international airport ‌to ​a Salvadoran military team that had flown ⁠into Haiti on Friday.

The ⁠international security mission declined to comment. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.

The four Salvadorans went missing on Sunday after they jumped from a burning armored vehicle that came under attack ​on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince while they were returning from a market to their base, Salvadoran officials said earlier this ⁠week. The ambush was the first major ⁠attack on the Gang Suppression Force, a United ​Nations-authorized multinational mission, since it began operations in Haiti this year.

President Nayib ​Bukele said on Wednesday that gangs were holding the ‌four men and that El Salvador had launched a military operation to bring them back unharmed. Additional Salvadoran troops were later deployed to support search and security operations.

No group has publicly claimed responsibility ⁠for the attack. Local media have linked the ambush to gangs operating in the area, including powerful armed groups Chen Mechan and 400 ⁠Mawozo.

A year into its ‌mandate, the GSF has about 2,000 troops ⁠on the ground, well below its authorized ceiling ​of 5,500. ‌An earlier Kenyan-led security effort struggled with chronic ​shortages of ⁠money, equipment and personnel.

Haiti’s gangs have expanded sharply since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, taking control of large parts of Port-au-Prince and displacing 1.4 million to 1.5 million people.

(Reporting by Kylie Madry and Harold Isaac; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Alistair Bell ​and Rod Nickel)