- Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on the request.
- US federal agents from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security would be dispatched to the Haitian capital to assist “as soon as possible.”
- “Urban terrorists” could exploit current tensions and carry out further attacks.
Haiti’s elections minister Mathias Pierre said that Haiti requested the United States to send US troops to to help stabilize the country and protect critical infrastructure like oil reserves, airport and port amid chaos following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise.
According to the minister, the request was made after US Secretary of State Tony Blinken and President Joe Biden himself had “promised to help Haiti” in the wake of the president’s assassination earlier this week. He warned that “urban terrorists” could exploit current tensions and carry out further attacks.
Asked for clarification on whether the Pentagon would send any military support to the Caribbean island nation, a department spokesperson declined to comment.
While US State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter also said during today’s press briefing that she could not confirm that such a request was made, White House press secretary Jen Psaki did note that federal agents from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security would be dispatched to the Haitian capital to assist “as soon as possible.”
Moise was shot dead by a group of gunmen at his home near Port-au-Prince early on Wednesday morning; his wife was also severely injured and airlifted to a hospital in Miami, Florida.
While few details about the assassins have emerged, Haitian officials have alleged that at least 28 people were behind the plot, including 26 Colombian citizens and two Haitian-Americans. National police chief Leon Charles confirmed on Thursday that 15 Colombians and the two Americans had been taken into custody, while three others were killed in firefights with police. At the time, he said eight more suspects remained at large.
As fears of unrest run high, Haiti remains in an official “state of siege,” with curfews, border closures and stricter media controls imposed nationwide, while soldiers have been deployed to police the streets. The 15-day emergency order will stay in effect until later this month.
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