PORT-AU-PRINCE – At least three Haitian soldiers were killed in what appeared to be a gang ambush in a town on the outskirts of Haiti’s capital on Sunday, Haitian authorities confirmed.

The area of Kenscoff has been under heavy fire in recent days as Haitian law enforcement have warred with the gang coalition known as Viv Ansanm. It’s just the latest explosion of violence as Haitian authorities and foreign forces scramble to reign in gang warfare in the Caribbean nation.

Haiti’s government in a post on the social media platform X wrote that the soldiers died “on the front line … weapons in hand.”

“These soldiers are not just members of our armed forces. They are worthy sons of the Nation, defenders of our sovereignty, whose ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten. Their commitment is a powerful reminder that freedom and security come at a price, and that this price is sometimes paid in the blood of our bravest,” wrote the Haitian government in a statement.

Local media reported earlier in the day that a military reinforcement mission, traveling in an unarmored car, was transporting soldiers to a conflictive area in Kenscoff, when the soldiers were violently targeted by heavily armed men.

Video circulating social media show soldiers in camouflage pulling dead bodies out of the truck.