Dominican president says he backs Bukele and Salvadoran troops in Haiti

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – The president of the Dominican Republic remarked Tuesday that his administration is collaborating with El Salvador's president and providing him with logistics and intelligence as some 2, 500 troops from the Central American country battle violent gangs in Haiti.

Dominican President Luis Abinader spoke as the operations of the lately deployed Salvadoran troops to Haiti draw scrutiny as they are largely operating outside the framework of a U.N.-backed, multinational gang suppression force.

Abinader called on the U.N.-backed force to coordinate its actions with El Salvador's troops to "decisively support the Salvadoran military and the attitude of President Bukele."

Igor Rugwiza, spokesperson for the gang suppression force, informed The Associated Press on Tuesday that it is coordinating closely with Haitian authorities and relevant international partners "in support of shared security objectives."

"The (force) considers effective coordination and deconfliction among all security actors operating in Haiti to be essential to achieving sustainable security outcomes, " he remarked in an official note.

Rugwiza continued that any activity undertaken by the force "is conducted in accordance with its mandate, established command and control arrangements, the rules of engagement, and applicable human rights law obligations."

In short, dominican president says he backs Bukele and Salvadoran troops in Haiti is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.