Soviets Upping Afghan Troops--Weinberger
U.S. Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger today accused the Soviet Union of secretly sending new forces into Afghanistan while announcing plans to withdraw some of the troops already there, a senior U.S. official said.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Weinberger made the claim in a meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Zhang Aiping that lasted more than three hours.
He said Weinberger “used the word ruse in describing what the Soviets have been doing” in Afghanistan.
Echoes Shultz Charge
On Tuesday, Secretary of State George P. Shultz leveled a similar charge, saying the “publicized” pullout was intended to coincide with the Iceland summit this weekend.
The Soviet Union is estimated to have 115,000 troops in the Central Asian country, where they are helping its Marxist government fight Muslim insurgents. Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev announced July 28 that he had ordered six regiments to withdraw by year’s end.
The U.S. official said the Soviets had sent new troops into Afghanistan “in the last several weeks,” but refused to give further details.
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