Drone Blast Kills Two Officers in Haiti, Injures Others
PORT-AU-PRINCE – A drone accident in the hillside town of Kenscoff left two Haitian police officers dead and several others wounded on Tuesday night, according to officials.
The drone, part of a government-led operation against armed gangs, exploded after residents unknowingly brought it to the police. Authorities said the device was a “kamikaze” drone equipped with explosives and had gone missing during poor weather conditions.
Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime has directed a special task force since March to deploy explosive drones in support of police battling powerful gangs that control much of the capital. A private military company linked to Blackwater founder Erik Prince is also assisting with the operations.
Local reports, including from the Miami Herald, suggested that as many as six officers were injured in the blast, though the prime minister’s office confirmed two dead and two seriously hurt.
“We are taking all measures to ensure a thorough investigation into this tragedy,” said Fritz Alphonse Jean, a member of Haiti’s transitional presidential council.
Kenscoff has become a hotspot in the conflict due to its strategic location overlooking Petion-Ville, a key diplomatic hub. Armed groups have carried out mass killings, rapes, kidnappings, and arson in the area, forcing thousands to flee their homes.
Earlier this month, armed men kidnapped a three-year-old boy and seven staff members from a local orphanage, among them Irish missionary Gena Heraty.
The United Nations reports that more than 3,100 people have been killed in gang-related violence in Haiti in just the first half of this year.
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