El Salvador has issued a formal diplomatic rebuke to the US State Department for criticizing its military operations against gangs in Haiti, revealing tensions between President Trump's support for the mission and concerns raised by US diplomats, according to Axios.
Tensions escalated after an October 31 attack on a Salvadoran military convoy near the US embassy and a November 3 operation in which Salvadoran helicopters pushed back gangs attacking Chadian forces serving with the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF).
US commander David Howell subsequently accused Salvadoran forces of failing to coordinate with the GSF, endangering allied soldiers and civilians and suffering three casualties. A November 5 State Department diplomatic note also claimed that Salvadoran gunfire hit the US embassy, narrowly missing US personnel.
El Salvador rejected the accusations in an official response on Monday, insisting that its troops fired from the embassy, did not attack Chadian forces and had been coordinating operations with Haitian authorities and the GSF since October 26. He also challenged Howell's victim claims, questioned his credibility and accused him of spreading unsupported information.
The State Department claimed that three Salvadorans were injured, including one who was sent abroad for treatment. A source close to Bukala disputed the severity of the injury.