Soviets Confirm Afghan Rebel Use of Stinger Missiles

A Soviet general confirmed Friday that U.S. Stinger missiles are now being used against his forces in Afghanistan and said an MI-8 troop-carrying helicopter was hit last month.

“At the end of November we registered the first use of the American Stinger missile,” Lt. Gen. Mikhail M. Sotskov told a news conference.

“It was used against an MI-8 helicopter that was on its regular course,” he said. “The rocket hit the ammunition supply and exploded there. We counted more than 50 holes in the helicopter, but it managed to land safely.

“We found the tail of the missile with the markings, and technically speaking, its dimensions show that this was a Stinger missile,” Sotskov said.

Before introduction of Stinger missiles in Afghanistan, the anti-aircraft weaponry of the Muslim resistance fighters consisted mainly of comparatively ineffective machine guns and older missiles manufactured in China and Britain.

Rebels Downing More Planes

Reports began appearing in the Western press several months ago saying that the guerrillas were receiving Stinger missiles from the United States. Officials in Washington, without confirming the supply of Stingers, reported recently that the rebels have sharply increased their rate of success against Soviet aircraft.

The news conference was called to discuss the general situation in Afghanistan, but Sotskov and other participants provided no indication of any change in the Soviet position.

Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan at the end of 1979 to quell a Muslim rebellion against the Marxist regime that had seized power the year before. However, after nearly seven years of fighting, the war is stalemated, with Soviet control confined to a few cities.

The news conference participants repeated the Kremlin position that the conflict is caused by outside support of the Muslim resistance, rather than the presence of Soviet troops or the pro-Moscow government.