The Atlacatl battalion was the first immediate- or rapid-reaction battalion to be created by the armed forces of El Salvador (El Salvador: A Country Study 1988, 224). It received training from "trainers-advisers" of the United States Special Forces, 40 of whom were sent to El Salvador for this purpose (ibid.). There were six immediate-reaction independent counter-insurgency battalions towards the end of the 1980s, each with approximately 1,100 to 1,400 men (ibid., 213).

References to the Atlacatl battalion, its formation, counter-insurgency achievements and responsibility for massacres, please refer to the section entitled "The Atlacatl Battalion and U.S. Policy" from the 4 March 1992 issue of News from Americas Watch and pages 307-11 and 335-37 of The American Connection, both of which are attached to this Response.

One source states that the six counter-insurgency battalions of the Salvadoran armed forces operated independently, "sometimes distinguishing themselves as insurgents" (Needler 1991, np).

Although many documents provide information on forcible conscription of recruits, the small percentage of soldiers who are allowed to serve after completing their two-year tour of duty, and the officer corps of the Salvadoran army, information specific to recruitment or length of service of the troops constituting the Atlacatl battalion could not be found among the sources consulted by the DIRB.

Information on recruitment and military service in the armed forces of El Salvador in the late 1980s and early 1990 can be found in the attached article, "El Salvador's Army: A Force Unto Itself," and the attached excerpts from El Salvador: A Country Guide (pp. 49-50) and El Salvador: A Country Study (pp. 209-12). Pages 213-16 of El Salvador: A Country Study (attached) provide a brief overview of military organization and capabilities in the Salvadoran army, further to that provided in previous Responses. Additional information on military service can also be found in previous Responses to Information Requests available in the Refinfo database.

In addition to these sources, another states that some soldiers try to re-enlist after their two-year term is completed, although the army limits re-enlistment to 20 percent because new recruits earn substantially less than re-enlisted ones (Needler 1991, np). The same source adds that "the reenlistment rate for noncommissioned officers trained in the United States is only 10 percent" (ibid.). Another source put the army re-enlistment rate in early 1991 at 25 per cent (El Salvador: Eleven Years of War Apr. 1991, 2).

The information below, referring directly or indirectly to the Atlacatl battalion from January to June 1990, was found in monthly issues of El Rescate's El Salvador Chronology.

On 12 January 1990 Colonel Julio Cesar Grijalva, commander of the Atlacatl battalion from July 1988 to June 1989, was assigned to a position in the High Command of the armed forces (Jan. 1990, 24).

Heavy fighting was reported on 19 January 1990 near San Jose Guayabal on the Guazapa volcano, where soldiers of the Atlacatl battalion were participating in "Operation Victoria" (ibid., 42). The operation in this area also included troops from the Belloso battalion and the First Brigade (ibid., 45). The Minister of Defense stated that guerrillas in Guazapa were hiding in tunnels "that have been constructed Vietnamese style with concrete entrances and passageways" (ibid.).

On 22 January 1990 Diario Latino published a declaration by Sgt. Tomas Zarpate Castillo, member of the 8th company of the Atlacatl battalion (ibid., 50). He explained his role in the November 1989 killing of six Jesuit priests and two women on the Central American University (UCA) grounds (ibid.). Later in January, the same newspaper published the declaration of Lt. Jose Ricardo Espinoza, company commander of the Atlacatl battalion, accusing Col. Benavides of ordering the killing of the Jesuits (ibid., 59).

Also on 22 January 1990 Pedro Monico Lopez, catechist and coordinator of the Christian Base Community in San Jose Obrero, and resident of San Jose Cortez, was taken from his home during curfew hours by armed, uniformed soldiers (ibid., 61). Witnesses claimed that the soldiers belonged to the Atlacatl battalion (ibid.).

On 16 February 1990 four soldiers of the Atlacatl battalion appeared before a judge to present testimony on the "Jesuit case" after ignoring two previous citations (Feb. 1990, 36). After fifty soldiers refused to appear before the court, the battalion's commander stated that "he wasn't aware of the citations but no he is willing to comply" (ibid.). A reporter said that the testimonies had "irregularities" and "modifications" (ibid.).

On 17 February the armed forces press office reported that one soldier of the Atlacatl battalion had been killed and two were wounded the day before during fighting near El Roblar, Guazapa (ibid., 37).

On 19 February three more Atlacatl soldiers provided testimony on the Jesuit case, stating that although on the night of the killings they were positioned in El Salvador's highest building, which oversees the Central American University, they were unable to see any vehicles in the area due to a lack of visibility (ibid, 41). The source indicates that the night in question had a full moon (ibid.). By 19 February, 14 of the 50 cited Atlacatl soldiers had presented declarations (ibid.).

On 1 March 1990 heavy fighting was reported to have taken place the previous night and in the morning near San Jose Guayabal and Suchitoto, on the Guazapa volcano, where the Atlacatl battalion was operating (Mar. 1990, 1). On 2 March a television report stated that the First Brigade and the Atlacatl battalion had been conducting operations in the Guazapa-Aguilares-Quezaltepeque zone since early February (ibid., 2).

On 11 March the armed forces press office reported the assassination of Sergeant Jose Tomas Castro of the Atlacatl battalion in Lourdes, La Libertad (ibid., 21).

On 22 March the body of a man killed on 2 July 1989 by soldiers of the Atlacatl battalion and special forces was exhumed (ibid., 42). The soldiers were led by Cesar Joya Martinez, who later deserted, went to the United States and testified publicly about this killing and other actions (ibid.).

The same day, Eliu Fuentes, a captain of the Atlacatl battalion, was machine-gunned and seriously wounded in the Colonia Centroamerica of San Salvador (ibid.).

On 30 March two Atlacatl soldiers were wounded during fighting near Colon, an area close to the capital patrolled by soldiers of the battalion, the Cavalry and artillery (ibid., 53).

On 2 June routine military transfers were announced by the Ministry of Defense. These included the promotion of Lt. Col. Jose Eduardo Angel Orellana, from Executive Officer of the Third Brigade to Commander of the Atlacatl battalion (June 1990, 6). On 6 June Lt. Col. Oscar Leon Linares turned over command of the battalion to Lt. Col. Jose Eduardo Angel Orellana (ibid., 13). Linares, who commanded the Atlacatl battalion during the November 1989 FMLN offensive and the killing of Jesuits mentioned above, received an award for commanding the "loyal, seasoned and very Salvadoran" troops of the battalion (ibid.).

On 11 June Lt. Elio Ernesto Munguia, a cadet from the Military School, testified that on the night of 15-16 November 1989, when the Jesuits were killed, soldiers of the Atlacatl battalion were on the grounds of the Military School (ibid., 21). The witness stated that Col. Benavides "kept the log book of entries and exits of troops on combat missions" (ibid.).

On 14 June soldiers of the Atlacatl battalion were accused of having searched the Popotlan Community House the previous weekend and of breaking into the house of Victor Dominguez Cabrera, a resident of the same community (ibid., 29). The soldiers reportedly searched his house and threatened to kill him if he reported the incident (ibid.).

On 15 June a soldier of the Atlacatl battalion, Jose Gabriel Martinez Pineda, claimed that he was captured and tortured by guerrillas while he was off-duty (ibid., 31, 47). The Tutela Legal office of the Archbishopric investigated the case, and concluded that the soldier's story was false (ibid., 33, 47). The office publicly stated that the soldier "is a vicious drug addict, a common criminal," who inflicted injuries to himself and was known in the area for his dangerous behaviour (ibid., 47)

On 25 June 1990 the FMLN demanded the dissolution of the security forces, particularly of the National Intelligence Department (DNI), the civil defence organization and the Atlacatl battalion (ibid., 46).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

El Salvador: A Country Study. 1988. Edited by Richard A. Haggerty. Washington, DC: Secretary of the Army.

El Salvador Chronology. June 1990. Vol. 5, No. 6. Los Angeles: El Rescate Human Rights Department.

_____. May 1990. Vol. 5, No. 4. Los Angeles: El Rescate Human Rights Department.

_____. March 1990. Vol. 5, No. 3. Los Angeles: El Rescate Human Rights Department.

_____. February 1990. Vol. 5., No. 2. Los Angeles: El Rescate Human Rights Department.

_____. January 1990. Vol. 5, No. 1. Los Angeles: El Rescate Human Rights Department.

El Salvador: Eleven Years of War. April 1991. Los Angeles, Calif.: El Rescate Human Rights Department.

Needler, Martin C. "El Salvador: The Military and Politics." Armed Forces & Society. Summer 1991. Vol. 17, No. 4. Chicago, Ill.: Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces & Society.

Barry, Tom. 1990. El Salvador: A Country Guide. Albuquerque, N. Mex.: The Inter-Hemispheric Education Resource Center, pp. 49-50.

El Salvador: A Country Study. 1988. Edited by Richard A. Haggerty. Washington, DC: Secretary of the Army, pp. 209-16.

McClintock, Michael. 1985. The American Connection Volume I: State Terror and Popular Resistance in El Salvador. London, UK: Zed Books Ltd., pp. 307-11, 335-37.

News from Americas Watch [New York]. 4 March 1992. Vol. 4, No. 2. "El Salvador: The Massacre at El Mozote: The Need to Remember," pp. 11-15.

The New York Times Magazine. Joel Millman. 10 December 1989. "El Salvador's Army: A Force Unto Itself," pp. 47, 95-96.