The World : Ex-Salvador General Slain

Retired Salvadoran Gen. Jose Alberto Medrano was killed by several gunmen as he parked his car in northern San Salvador, witnesses reported. No one immediately claimed responsibility but police said they suspected leftist guerrillas. Medrano, in his 60s, was closely tied to extreme right-wing groups and was considered a hero of El Salvador’s 1969 border war with Honduras. He prided himself on traveling without security guards but normally carried a .45-caliber pistol and hand grenades in his car. Salvadoran army spokesman Lt. Col. Ricardo Cienfuegos was similarly slain on March 7.