WorldPosted at: Nov 10 2026 9:32PM


El Salvador rebukes US diplomat over Salvadoran military operations in Haiti amid rising tensions with Washington

San Salvador, Nov 10 (UNI) El Salvador has publicly challenged the credibility of the top US diplomat in Haiti after Washington raised objections to Salvadoran military operations against gangs, exposing tensions between President Donald Trump's support for the campaign and concerns within the US State Department over its execution.
The dispute centres on military operations ordered by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, a Trump ally, following the capture of four Salvadoran aviation technicians by gangs in Haiti on October 18. The technicians had been supporting medical evacuations, but the gangs refused to respond to Bukele's demands for their release or the return of their bodies.
With Trump's backing, Bukele deployed additional special forces to Haiti on October 27. The subsequent operations included armed confrontations with gangs in the streets of Port-au-Prince.
Trump had reportedly encouraged Bukele to act, telling him: “You have to do what you have to do.”
However, the deployment has triggered friction with American diplomatic officials, who have questioned whether Salvadoran forces are properly coordinating their operations with the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF), which includes personnel from several countries, including Chad.
The disagreement intensified after an attack on October 31 on a Salvadoran convoy comprising five armoured personnel carriers near the US embassy in Port-au-Prince. The embassy was also struck by gunfire during the incident.
On November 3, Bukele said Salvadoran attack helicopters had repelled gangs targeting Chadian troops serving with the GSF.
The following day, US chargé d'affaires in Haiti David Howell sent a text message to Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, accusing El Salvador of failing to coordinate its operations with the international force.
“They took at least three casualties. They don't have a medical plan. They nearly killed GSF troops as I understand it,” Howell wrote, according to a copy of the message shared with Axios.
He urged the Haitian prime minister to ask El Salvador's defence ministry to suspend operations until proper coordination arrangements were established, warning that the actions could endanger international troops, civilians and Salvadoran personnel.
On 5 November, the US embassy in San Salvador formally protested in a diplomatic note to Bukele's government, accusing Salvadoran forces of putting the GSF at risk through a “failure to coordinate”.
The document also alleged that Salvadoran small-arms fire had struck the US embassy, narrowly missing American personnel.
The diplomatic note reportedly infuriated Bukele, who believed he had already secured Trump's approval for the operations.
“His attitude was, 'What the f*ck? I checked with Trump. He said do what we have to do, and some bureaucrat is fighting this?'” a source familiar with the president's reaction told Axios.
State Department officials reportedly said they were unclear who had authorised the formal protest. The department also declined to comment on Howell's communication with the Haitian prime minister.
On Monday, El Salvador issued a detailed diplomatic response, challenging the American account and questioning Howell's credibility.
Its foreign ministry presented four clarifications, rejecting the allegations concerning the embassy, the Chadian troops, operational coordination and reported casualties among Salvadoran personnel.
Regarding the gunfire that struck the US embassy, San Salvador argued that its forces had been positioned with their backs towards the building and were firing in the opposite direction.
“It is ruled out that the fire from the Salvadoran personnel struck the facilities of the American Embassy,” the ministry said.
On the attack against Chadian troops, it maintained that Salvadoran personnel had repelled the assault and that their fire had not been directed towards the Chadian positions.
The government also said its armed forces had repeatedly coordinated their air operations with the GSF and Haitian authorities since October 26.
Its strongest criticism concerned Howell's assertion that three Salvadoran soldiers had been injured.
El Salvador “categorically denied” the claim, arguing that the absence of supporting evidence raised serious questions about the credibility of the other allegations.
The State Department disputed El Salvador's account, insisting that three Salvadoran personnel had been injured, including one whose condition was serious enough to require medical evacuation outside Haiti for further treatment.
The dispute highlights growing differences between Trump's support for Bukele's aggressive approach to tackling gang violence in Haiti and the State Department's concerns over operational coordination, civilian safety and the protection of international personnel.
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