El Salvador’s military helped deliver a devastating air assault against the headquarters of one of Haiti’s most powerful criminal gangs, President Nayib Bukele said Tuesday. The gang has been linked to mass kidnappings, weapons trafficking and extortion, as reported by Fox News.

The airstrikes targeted strongholds belonging to 400 Mawozo and the home of its leader, Lanmò San Jou, according to Bukele. The operation destroyed what the Salvadoran president described as a major headquarters used by the gang for its criminal activities.

The attack took place Sunday near Port-au-Prince. A Haitian police task force carried out the operation with support from Salvadoran troops, The Miami Herald reported.

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Videos showed several helicopters firing on multiple compounds located within sprawling complexes. Black smoke could be seen rising from the targeted area following the strikes.

Dozens of people fled the properties on foot and motorbikes after the helicopters attacked. The footage captured people streaming through the area while smoke billowed across a nearby field.

Bukele celebrated the operation in a post on X, pointing to an earlier warning that his forces would take action against the gangs. “We kept our promise,” he said.

The Salvadoran president also mocked those who fled the compounds instead of attempting to resist the attacking forces.

“Most of them ran away without even trying to fight. What cowards!” Bukele said.

 

As many as 20 people are believed to have been killed during the operation, according to The Miami Herald. The newspaper cited anonymous sources for that estimate.

The attack appeared to be part of an ongoing military effort following the disappearance of four Salvadoran members of a security mission backed by the U.N. The personnel vanished after a gang ambush near Port-au-Prince on Oct. 18.

Authorities later recovered a burned armored vehicle connected to the ambush, but they found no trace of the four missing Salvadoran personnel. Their disappearance prompted El Salvador to deploy thousands of additional troops to help with the search.

Salvadoran officials believe the four men were abducted and survived the ambush. One gang leader, however, has claimed that they are dead.

The missing personnel have become a national priority for Bukele. He has warned Haitian gang leaders that El Salvador is prepared to use overwhelming force if the men are not returned alive.

Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé on Tuesday thanked Bukele for his commitment to confronting the country’s prolonged gang crisis and restoring state control. He also praised the work of the Gang Suppression Force, Haitian National Police, Haitian Armed Forces and international partners.

“I salute the commitment of the Salvadoran forces in the fight against gangs,” Fils-Aimé said.

The Haitian prime minister also directly thanked Bukele for supporting the national campaign against the gangs. He said Haiti, El Salvador and the Gang Suppression Force shared the same fight and determination.

“The collaboration will continue. THE GANGS WILL GET NO SLEEP!” Fils-Aimé said.

NEW: Haiti's prime minister praises El Salvador's president Nayib Bukele for unleashing fury on Haitian gangs.

About 20 gang gunmen were killed following an attack targeting the 400 Mawozo gang, according to the Miami Herald. Bukele shared a post in Haitian Creole announcing that Salvadoran forces had destroyed the 400 Mawozo gang’s headquarters and the home of the gang's leader, Lanmò San Jou. Haiti's prime minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aime, praised the attacks against the gangs. "I salute the commitment of the Salvadoran forces in the fight against gangs..." he said. "Hats off to President Nayib Bukele for your support and commitment to the national fight against gangs... THE GANGS WILL GET NO SLEEP!" — Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 11, 2026

The operation followed Bukele’s warning to Haitian gang leaders that Salvadoran forces would “finish” them as he said they had done in El Salvador. Sunday’s helicopter assault struck the gang’s compounds while the search for the missing Salvadoran personnel continued.

Bukele’s posts presented the attack as fulfillment of that threat, while the videos displayed the scale of the aerial operation. Helicopters repeatedly struck the complexes as dozens of people scrambled away, leaving smoke rising over the scene.

The fate of the four missing Salvadoran personnel remained unresolved. Salvadoran officials continued to maintain that the men survived and were abducted, despite the gang leader’s claim that they were dead.