White House does not rule out Haiti request for U.S. troops

PORT-AU-PRINCE/WASHINGTON, (Reuters) The United States is still reviewing a request for troops made by Haiti's interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph to help secure its airport and other infrastructure after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, the White House said yesterday.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Haiti's political leadership remains unclear and that it was vital for the country's leaders to come together to chart a united path forward.

"It's still under review," she said of Haiti's request to send troops. Asked if it had been ruled out, Psaki said, "No."

U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters later on Monday that his administration was "closely watching" developments in Haiti.

"The people of Haiti deserve peace and security, and Haiti's political leaders need to come together for the good of their country," Biden said.

Moise was shot dead early on Wednesday at his Portau-Prince home by what Haitian authorities describe as a unit of assassins including 26 Colombians and two Haitian-Americans. Haitian police said on Sunday they had arrested another suspect.

A separate U.S. government source said on Monday that at least one of the Haitian-Americans arrested on suspicion of taking part in Moise's killing had been an informant for the U.S. government law enforcement agency.

The death of the president plunged the troubled country into deeper turmoil, and U.S. officials traveled there on Sunday to assess the situation and meet three politicians who have all staked competing claims to take charge.