Port-au-Prince, EFE – El Salvador has scaled up its military contingent deployed in Haiti to roughly 1,300 service members, after 690 extra troops touched down in the Caribbean nation in recent days, per official disclosures shared with Haitian local media. The decision to ramp up deployment comes in direct response to a brazen October 18 ambush outside Port-au-Prince, where an armored transport vehicle carrying four Salvadoran soldiers came under targeted attack. As of the latest update, the four service members caught in the ambush have not been located, and their status remains unconfirmed. A senior official from the Salvadoran government, speaking to Haitian national newspaper Le Nouvelliste, emphasized that the entire deployment was planned in full coordination with Haitian state authorities, framing the mission as supportive bilateral aid from a regional ally rather than any form of unauthorized incursion. The newly arrived troops brought with them a full complement of specialized military hardware, delivered via three separate cargo aircraft in the past week, with additional logistical and operational supplies scheduled to arrive in subsequent shipments. The Salvadoran administration has intentionally kept operational details of the mission largely under wraps, with the unnamed official noting that leadership has opted to “remain silent and act” rather than publicize sensitive tactical plans that could put personnel at risk. Independent military analysts have observed that the expanded Salvadoran deployment now surpasses the troop size limits outlined in the original United Nations Security Council mandate governing the multinational Gang Suppression Force (GSF), the UN-authorized coalition that includes contributing forces from El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and Chad. The expanded Salvadoran contingent, which includes a large detachment of elite special forces operatives, marks the single largest national military deployment to Haiti since the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) formally concluded its operations in 2017. For ongoing breaking updates on regional developments, readers can access the latest headlines via DominicanScope.