Trump Allows El Salvador’s Bukele to Send Troops to Haiti

El Salvador is sending thousands of troops to Haiti to help fight gangs and search for four Salvadoran military personnel captured after an ambush. According to Sina Finance, citing Axios, President Nayib Bukele told U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday that Haiti had approved the deployment and Washington would not oppose it; Trump reportedly replied, “Go ahead and do what you have to do.” El Salvador announced Wednesday that it planned to deploy up to 2,000 soldiers, with sources saying the force could grow to two or three times that size. Haiti and El Salvador signed a bilateral agreement authorizing Salvadoran forces to operate in Haiti, and special forces and equipment began arriving. The four Salvadoran aviation technicians were ambushed on October 18 and remain missing. Bukele later warned gang leaders that retaliation would be far worse if the men were not returned alive. El Salvador joined the UN-established Gang Suppression Force, but Bukele’s troops appear to be operating independently of its framework. Erik Prince’s private security company, Vectus Global, is also active in Haiti. The U.S. formally rejected Bukele’s request for drones, transport aircraft and other military equipment; a source said Colombia could act as an informal intermediary to provide supplies.