Salvadoran and Haitian forces take back Haiti's national stadium from gangs, and Bukele says they found human skulls inside

Salvadoran special forces and Haitian security forces have taken control of the Sylvio Cator Stadium in Port-au-Prince, Haiti's national soccer stadium, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele announced Thursday evening.

In a post on X with video of the operation, Bukele said the joint operation, carried out under a bilateral agreement between the two governments, brought together the Haitian National Police, the Armed Forces of Haiti, the government's Task Force and Salvadoran special forces. "During the operation, we discovered several human skulls inside the stadium," he wrote.

Bukele said the stadium will now become an operational base "so we can keep advancing deeper into the territory controlled by the gangs." "We now have the advantage on the ground," he wrote.

He also issued a warning: "I strongly urge all gang members to leave the area before the offensive begins. Those who choose to stay and fight our forces will have to face the consequences."

The video shows Salvadoran troops patrolling streets near the stadium alongside armored vehicles, soldiers moving through the empty stands, and armed robot dogs being deployed on the field and in the stadium's corridors.

El Salvador has sent about 2,000 troops to Haiti. Earlier this week Bukele said his forces had destroyed the headquarters of the 400 Mawozo gang.