Crimeupdated 1h ago2 min read
MapBukele Disputes Bodies Found In Haiti Belong To Missing Salvadoran Soldiers
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Bukele says the charred remains near Port-au-Prince are not the four missing Salvadoran soldiers. The New York Times reported bodies found, but identification remains uncertain.
9 outlets told this the same way.
Bodies disputed after ambush
Four Salvadoran military aviation technicians disappeared after armed attackers targeted their vehicle in Croix-des-Bouquets, an area northeast of Port-au-Prince, on October 18, 2026, and the vehicle was struck by explosives and caught fire. Nayib Bukele publicly disputed reports on October 24 that four bodies recovered near the Haitian capital belonged to the missing Salvadorans, saying the remains included a child, a man considerably taller than the technicians, and another individual wearing part of a foreign military uniform.
“On October 24, Bukele publicly disputed reports suggesting that four bodies recovered near the Haitian capital belonged to the missing Salvadorans.”
The remains had been collected by a humanitarian organisation and transferred to the international airport in Port-au-Prince, where Salvadoran military representatives received them, but the Gang Suppression Force later acknowledged receiving human remains while stating that their identities had not been established. The Gang Suppression Force said “At this stage, the GSF is not in a position to confirm that the remains are those of missing personnel,” and it described Bukele’s claim that “they are not our men.”
Bukele cites discrepancies
Bukele said the remains did not belong to the missing Salvadorans, pointing to discrepancies including the presence of a child, a body whose reported height did not match the missing personnel, and clothing associated with another country's military. Bukele also reported that identification cards and military uniforms from foreign contingents had been discovered among the remains, and the Gang Suppression Force later clarified that a military identification card circulating in connection with the discovery belonged to a Chadian soldier who had lost it during search operations and was accounted for.
A person familiar with the matter said it was “fairly certain,” that at least some of the remains “were not those of the Salvadoran soldiers.” Joseph Wilson, also known as “Lanmò San Jou,” described the deaths in a video posted Sunday as a “mistake” he wouldn’t have made, and he addressed Bukele and the Haitian government.
Search continues, mission persists
El Salvador dispatched special forces to locate four soldiers missing since October 18, and the Gang Suppression Force reaffirmed that it wanted to keep up the pressure on the gangs to help restore security and stability in Haiti. Vant Bèf Info said the FRG reaffirmed that it wanted to keep up the pressure on the gangs to help restore security and stability in Haiti, while El Salvador dispatched special forces to locate four soldiers missing since October 18.
“The Gang Suppression Force (FRG) assures that armed group violence will not stop it.”
The Haitian Times reported that Bukele denied on Saturday, October 24, that the remains handed over to the Gang Suppression Force at Toussaint Louverture International Airport belonged to his personnel, quoting him saying “They are not ours.” The Haitian Times also said the GSF confirmed receipt of charred human remains but said it could not yet confirm their identities, and it added that doctors were examining the remains while the fate of the four missing Salvadoran soldiers remained unknown.