Bukele rules out that the bodies found in Haiti are those of the 4 Salvadoran soldiers kidnapped by gangs

Image source, Getty ImagesCaption, Bukele sent a military contingent to Haiti to find four soldiers "kidnapped" by gangs. Author, Editorial StaffAuthor's title, BBC News MundoPublication date 2 hours agoReading time: 4 minThe president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, ruled out that lifeless bodies found in Haiti are those of the 4 Salvadoran soldiers of an international anti-gang contingent who disappeared on the island. Through a message on X, Bukele responded to a post by The New York Times which, citing several sources in Haiti, indicated that four corpses found in Port-au-Prince could correspond to the Salvadorans of the Gang Suppression Force, a United Nations multinational mission with a presence in the country."They are not our men. An NGO handed over human remains at the airport, claiming they belonged to our four aviation technicians," the president wrote on X."However, the remains correspond to a child, a man considerably taller than our aviation technicians, and a person who was wearing part of a uniform of an army that is not ours. Among the remains there were also identification cards and military uniforms from other countries," he added. The disappearance of the Salvadorans, which the government of El Salvador considers a kidnapping by Haitian gang members, has led Bukele to send a military contingent to the island on a search and rescue mission. The president previously indicated that his missing soldiers are not part of a combat group, but rather aviation technicians who are part of the mission in Haiti."Our mission consists only of pilots and technical personnel, whose main job is to carry out medical evacuations and save lives, not to wage war," the president said in a statement."However, they were cowardly kidnapped while returning after buying food at a market in the area," he added. Skip Most read and continue readingMost readEnd of Most readImage source, X/NayibBukeleThe Times reportIn their article published Saturday afternoon, two journalists from The New York Times reported that, according to four sources, charred remains found Saturday on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince could be those of the Salvadoran soldiers."The remains were found six days after the men were ambushed while driving through a gang stronghold," the report said, citing as a source the humanitarian aid group Hero Client Rescue, which was "hired to recover the bodies." The article indicated that, although "they could belong to the missing Salvadoran soldiers," tests still needed to be carried out to confirm their identities due to the poor condition in which they were found. At night, Bukele posted his message on X in which he ruled out that they were the Salvadoran aviation technicians. He accompanied the post with two images of identification belonging to a member of the Gang Suppression Force from Chad, a country in central Africa. According to the president, the documents were found among the remains that were being examined to determine whether they were the Salvadorans'. Image source, ReutersCaption, The soldiers were ambushed in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, according to initial indications. The disappearance of the Salvadorans constitutes the first serious incident faced by the multinational armed force since its arrival in Haiti in April. The incident has led the government of El Salvador to send a number of soldiers for search and rescue in Haitian territory. According to sources from the American newspaper Miami Herald, there were "100 special forces soldiers from El Salvador" who would participate in the contingent. The men are believed to have been captured by the Chen Mechan gang, with the support of another group known as 400 Mawozo, who ambushed their armored vehicle while they were shopping for food. They were attacked while returning to camp in an armored vehicle, as reported by the Armed Forces of El Salvador in a statement last Sunday. They managed to flee after their vehicle was hit by explosives and caught fire, but contact was then lost. Other countries carrying out operations against the gangs in Haiti attempted to provide help, while the Salvadoran helicopters deployed to provide support came under gunfire."Multiple attempts to approach by land and air have been made, but these have been hampered by the intensity of the fighting and the security conditions in the area," the Armed Forces said. So far no organization has claimed responsibility for the attack. Download the new BBC World Service app. Choose BBC News Mundo and receive news alerts, documentaries and analysis, all in one place. Important: the new app is not available in the UK or the United States. You can also follow us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X and on our WhatsApp channel. And don't forget to subscribe here to our newsletter to receive a special selection of our best content every Friday. Discover moreSkip Video and continueVideoEnd of Video