U.S. Military Copter Lifted Downed Salvador Craft Out of Combat Zone, Officials Confirm

A U.S. CH-47 military helicopter flew into a combat zone in El Salvador from Honduras on June 15 to lift a crippled Salvadoran air force helicopter to safety, U.S. Embassy officials here and in Honduras confirmed Tuesday.

A second CH-47 was spotted over the Salvadoran town of Tejutepeque 10 days later, also carrying a smaller helicopter. But embassy officials in San Salvador and Tegucigalpa said they have no knowledge of a second rescue flight.

The activities raise the touchy legal question of whether the United States has participated in Salvadoran combat operations without the knowledge or approval of Congress.

Hit a Tree

According to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador, a Salvadoran UH-1H “Huey” troop transport helicopter struck a tree and fell to earth in rebel-dominated Morazan province on June 14. A CH-47 Chinook helicopter operating from Palmerola air base in Honduras came to its rescue the next day.

The Chinook carried the smaller craft to Ilopango air base near San Salvador.

“There was no combat at the site where the pickup occurred,” said an embassy spokesman. “We do not consider that U.S. personnel were in jeopardy of hostile fire.”

Chose Words Carefully

The spokesman was choosing his words carefully because operations of American military personnel in combat or under hostile fire require congressional approval under the 1973 War Powers Act.

On June 25, a television crew from ABC News in Tejutepeque saw and recorded the flight of the second Chinook, ABC Bureau Chief Alejandro Benes said.

The videotape clearly shows the Chinook, with the smaller Huey craft dangling from a cable, flying over the town. Benes said the helicopters were heading in a northeast direction, toward Honduras.

The news crew did not know from where the Chinook had taken off.

Copter Downed, Rebels Claim

Rebel broadcasts on Radio Venceremos said that guerrillas shot down a Salvadoran helicopter on June 25 in Morazan. The Salvadoran army launched one of its periodic sweeps of the province last month.

U.S. officials in Honduras have said that Chinooks based at Palmerola are commonly used to ferry Honduran troops during joint maneuvers with the United States. They also sometimes carry food and supplies to Honduran troops.

However, the copters have been spotted on the Honduras-El Salvador border during Salvadoran army operations coordinated with Honduran troops.

Prevent Escapes

As Salvadoran troops sweep northward, Honduran soldiers close in on the border in an effort to stop the guerrillas from escaping into Honduran territory.

For many months, U.S. spy planes from Honduras have flown regular reconnaissance missions over El Salvador. By spotting groups of guerrillas gathering for attack, the flights are credited with discouraging mass guerrilla assaults that once bedeviled the Salvadoran army.

Meanwhile, Reuters news agency reported that the United States has sent six new combat helicopters to El Salvador to replace craft lost through accidents and guerrilla fire. They said the Huey UH-1H helicopters, used to transport troops, evacuate wounded and provide air support against guerrillas, arrived last weekend.

The craft were supplied as part of a U.S. military aid package aimed at increasing El Salvador’s helicopter strength to 60 this year. El Salvador’s helicopter fleet, one of the largest in Central America, includes 47 UH-1Hs supplied by the United States.