ANTI-COMMUNIST INSURGENCIES WITH U.S. BACKING

Afghanistan

Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan in December, 1979, to stabilize the Afghan Marxist government in Kabul, which took power in an April, 1978, revolution, against pro-monarchy traditionalists and Muslim fundamentalists. The continuing civil war has become known as the “holy war” to the thousands of Afghan rebels, who hold much of the countryside against an estimated 115,000 to 120,000 Soviet troops and at least 50,000 Afghan government troops. The rebel moujahedeen, or holy warriors, are composed of at least seven major factions, mostly Muslim fundamentalists, and are backed by the United States, Pakistan, China and Iran. They are using principally Chinese-made weapons, many bought by the United States.

Angola

The Marxist government of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), came to power in November, 1975, after a civil war following the withdrawal of a Portuguese colonial government. The Soviet- and Cuban-backed government supports 110,000 troops against the U.S.- and South African-backed National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), which claims about 40,000 guerrillas and has opposed the MPLA in what began as tribal fighting but is now full-fledged civil war.

Cambodia

The Vietnamese-installed, Soviet-backed government in Phnom Penh took control in 1979 and holds power with the support of an estimated 140,000 Vietnamese troops. Former Cambodian leader Prince Norodom Sihanouk leads the three-member Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea, which is recognized by the United Nations and backed by China. In addition to Sihanouk’s 11,500 fighters, former Cambodian Prime Minister Son Sann leads the non-communist Khmer People’s National Liberation Front of 14,000 rebels. The third member of the coalition is the communist Khmer Rouge forces of Pol Pot, which claim more than 35,000 guerrillas. The present Cambodian government succeeded the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, in power from 1975-78, which had ousted the pro-U.S. Lon Nol government, in power from 1970-75.

Nicaragua

The Marxist-led Sandinista forces overthrew dictator Anastasio Somoza in July, 1979. The Soviet-backed Sandinista forces, numbering about 100,000, continue to fight U.S.-backed counterrevolutionary guerrillas, known as contras , which include several local factions, including the Miskito Indians from the northern regions of Nicaragua, and are estimated to number between 15,000 and 22,000. Soviet Bloc nations, including Cuba, have aided the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front in the conflict, while the contras have drawn upon surrounding Central American countries, such as Honduras, to provide sanctuary.