El Salvador's President Says Bodies Handed Over in Haiti Are Not Four Missing Soldiers

El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, said four bodies handed over to Salvadoran special forces in Haiti on Saturday are not those of the four Salvadoran soldiers who went missing after an ambush outside Haiti's capital the previous Sunday. Bukele said a nongovernmental organisation delivered the remains to one of Haiti's airports, claiming they were the four air technicians. He said one body was a child's, one was a man considerably taller than the technicians, and one wore part of another country's army uniform. He added that the remains came with identification cards and uniforms from other countries. The four men, part of the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force, were travelling in an armoured vehicle back to their camp when they were attacked in Croix-des-Bouquets, an area controlled by armed groups. No gang has claimed responsibility. Bukele sent a military contingent on Thursday, and Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste reported about 450 soldiers deployed. Bukele has said the mission's sole purpose is returning the four men alive.

Right-leaning outlets tracked by Crosswire had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and alternative/independent outlets had. The New York Times, the left-leaning source, headlines the discovery of remains during the hunt. Its summary stresses that El Salvador sent hundreds of troops and that the men vanished six days earlier, and it mentions Bukele's denial last. Reuters and BBC News, the alternative sources, lead with the denial instead. Reuters gives the Saturday handover and the Sunday ambush. BBC adds the most detail: the child's body, the differing uniforms, the NGO's claim, the Gang Suppression Force link and the 450-soldier figure. Both sides agree on the core facts, which are the remains found in Haiti, the missing soldiers and Bukele's denial. They differ mainly in whether the find or the denial comes first, and in how much forensic detail they give.