The Gang Suppression Force says it carried out two operations in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area this week, in Tabarre on Monday, October 5, and in Cité Soleil on Tuesday, October 6.

In Tabarre, more than a hundred members of the force, backed by armored vehicles and helicopters, moved largely on foot into narrow passages and abandoned buildings that armed groups use as hideouts. The force says it removed barricades and seized improvised explosive devices.

Early on Tuesday, acting on intelligence, the force swept Route Soleil 9 in Cité Soleil, a corridor that gives access to key infrastructure and to neighboring communities. The aim was to retake positions held by gangs and take down their barricades.

According to the force's account, two suspects were killed, two were arrested and several others were seriously wounded. It says it seized three firearms, magazines, ammunition, a radio and two motorcycles.

The force did not report on possible civilian casualties, and its account has not been independently confirmed, the news site Rezo Nòdwès noted. Last week the UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, called for firm human rights safeguards as the force expands.

The force says it will keep a reinforced presence and continue patrols in both areas. It has about 1,600 personnel, far below its planned strength, and the UN Security Council extended its mandate on September 29 through March 31, 2027.