Remains handed to Haiti force may belong to missing Salvadoran soldiers

Human remains wrapped in garbage bags were turned over Saturday to Haiti's Gang Suppression Force by humanitarian group HERO after pickup from a drop site in Chen Mechan gang territory. Four Salvadoran soldiers went missing after jumping from a burning armored vehicle ambushed near Croix-des-Bouquets outside Port-au-Prince. The remains were badly burned and require forensic testing. El Salvador deployed 450 special forces as of Friday to aid the search. GSF special representative Jack Christofides said identities are unverified and offered thoughts to the families and El Salvador. No group has claimed responsibility for the ambush. President Nayib Bukele said "They are not our men," stating the remains correspond to a child, a much taller man, and a person in another army's uniform. HERO said it is not claiming the remains are the soldiers. The New York Times reported the bodies were handed over at the airport to a Salvadoran military team that flew in Friday, while HERO described collecting them from a gang drop site and delivering them to GSF. The GSF has about 1,500-2,000 personnel versus a U.N.-authorized ceiling near 5,500.