RAID BY 500 SOUTH AFRICANS INTO SOUTHERN ANGOLA CONTINUES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000605690003-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 2, 2012
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: September 19, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/02 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000605690003-6
A,P?EARED NEW YORK TIMES
ON PAGE 19 Septe,,,ber 19t5S
Raid by 500 South Africans Into Southern
Angola Continue
BYY SHEILA RULE
Sp=s1 s no MW YYet TTan
JOHANNESB1JBQ, Sept. 18 -'South
African military officials said today
that a raid into southern Angola that
began two days ago was continuin&
and that nearly 500 soldiers had been
deployed to track down a battalion of
NamibLn
The raid, backed by the air force,
was characterized by the authorities as
a pr.emptive strike against guerrillas
of the South-West Africa People's Or-
ganisation. which South Africa said
was planning attacks in the South Af-
n territory, also
known as Namibia.
Spokesmen for the South African De.
fense Force said here that its soldiers
were trying to eliminate a battalion of
anywhere from 400 to 800 insurgents,
and had destroyed an arms cache near
the South African border on Tuesday.
The South African Air Force engaged
in intensive reconnaissance flights to.
assist the ground troops and attacked a
guerrilla command post, according to
the Defense Force. Further details of
the attack were unavailable. The offi-
cials also did not offer information
about progress in the military opera-
tion or loeees suffered by security
forces or 'the South-West Africa Peo-
ple's Organization, which is known by
its initials as Swapo.
The Defense Force, which has pro-
vided scant information a raid,
on a that the o station fol-
lowed-months in lgence-oat erLpg
in areas where e ' operat-
ed. It said is a statemen
flops were split into 12 teams of about
40 men each. It said more details about
the attack were not yet available "be-
cause of the nature and limited extent,
of the operation." The Army Chief of
Staff, Lieut. Gen. Ian Gleason, said on
the day the raid was announced that
the operation should be completed
within a week.
The raid has met with international
condemnation. In an apparent re-
sponge to this criticism, the Defense
Force said in its statement that the
raid was a "follow-up operation" that
came after "at least three attempts by
Swapoto Infiltrate South-West Africa
.in large numbers." Western govern-
ments have deplored the action.
South Africa has been the target of
worldwide criticism for earlier raids in
'Angola and Botswana. It administers
South-West Africa in defiance of United'
Nations resolutions and a ruling by the
International Court of Justice and has
been engaged in an 18-year conflict
with the insurgents. It installed an in-
terim Government in South-West Af-
rica about three months ago, an act
that critics called a cover for continued
South African dominance
The statement said that the first infli
tration attempt was last January, in-
volving about 200 insurgents. Most of
the guerrilas were "destroyed," the
statement said, but a "small number"
escaped across the border into Augata.
Two similar unsuccessful attempts had
been made since security forces wore
withdrawn from Angola in April. ac-
cording to the authorities, who said
that the insurgents had killed 35 people
and abducted 115 others this year.
"In actions resulting from these
tempts, a total of 72 terr odsta . wem;
shot dead and large quantities of woo*:
ons and ammueitim destroyed." thou
statement said. '
The Defense Force said that. despite,
setbacks, the rebels had became n
aggressive and increasingly a
civilians. In additon, officialsssaiie
there was closer cooperation between
the guerrillas and Angolan forces. Geo.,
Constand Vil joen; head of the South Ain
titan Defense Force, said on Monday;
that the Angolan forces had been told at.
the current military operation and
asked not to interfere. A similar ar-
rangement was reportedly made when
the Defense Force made a raid into An-
gola last June.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/02 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000605690003-6