Santa Cruz massacre (El Salvador)

During the massacre, the armed forced of El Salvador killed civilians as they deployed scorched earth tactics during an anti-guerilla military action.

[1] To combat the guerrilla movements, the government armed forces deployed scorched earth tactics, starting on March 15, 1981, allegedly killing civilians, destruction of housing, animals and crops.

To escape the violence, communities hid in the forest or in caves, and some attempted to flee to Honduras by crossing the Lempa River.

[5] The attacks began on November 11 and included gun and mortar fire combined with bombings, killing an unknown number of civilians,[1][6] at least dozens,[4] possibly one hundred.

His reply, according to an opinion piece by Joel Simon Executive Director of the Columbia Journalism Review "did not substantively challenge the facts".