ANGOLA SAYS IT CAPTURED REBELS' U.S.-MADE MISSILES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000604900024-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 4, 2012
• Sequence Number: 24
• Publication Date: December 11, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/05/04: CIA-RDP90-00965R000604900024-0
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WASHINGTON POST
11 .december 1986
Angola Says It Captured Rebels' U.S.-Made Missiles
By_David B, Ottaw'av ".y Pacavira said he did not know what the An-
Wasime n Pat'SM((-Wri", --~ golan troops had done with the captured Stingers
The Marxist Angolan government has cap- or whether they had used them in combat
tured "at least three" U.S.-made Stinger antiair- against South African aircraft that periodically
.craft missi provided earlier this year by the intrude into southern Angola. ~He said he had
entry to gene Agency to the rebel orces heard about the capture of the Stingers while
0 onas vim , acco g to anue ro home in Luanda last August.
Pacavira, ngo a s am assa or to Cuba. Based in Havana, Pacavira said he was here
he missi es were see unng an offensive for a World Peace Foundation conference late-
by Angolan armed forces in late July against last month on Angola and Mozambique. He said`
Savimbi's home town of Munhango in eastern he has no plans to meet with U.S. officials.
Angola, Pacavira said. But he said his government maintains an "open
There was no immediate independent confir- door" for resumption of talks with the U.S. gov-
mation of the report. However, Jardo Mwekalia, ernment about Angola and neighboring South
a spokesman here for Savimbi's group, said the African-administered Namibia.
Angolan claim was "completely false. There is no Angola has rejected, however, linkage be-
foundation for something like that." tween withdrawal of the 35,000 Cuban troops
Pacavira said Cubans and Soviets providing stationed there and the question of Namibia in-
military assistance to the Angolan army "quite dependence, both of which the Reagan admin-
naturally" had access to the Stingers. istration is seeking to negotiate with South Af-
A source familiar with the covert U.S. govern- rica and Angola.
ment program also denied the report and said Pacavira also said that, because of Savimbi's
"
the Stingers provided to Savimbi's guerrilla crimes" against the Angolan people, the Luanda
forces were an early model of the weapon about government rejected a U.S. demand that it open
which the Soviets already had obtained informa. talks with the rebel leader.
tion and had copied in developing their SA14. "There is no possible negotiations with
Savimbi because he can offer, us nothing,"
Pacavira said.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/05/04: CIA-RDP90-00965R000604900024-0