18 S. African Troops Slain, Angola Says
Angolan troops killed 18 South African soldiers and destroyed four tanks last week near the beleaguered southeastern town of Cuito Cuanavale, the official Angolan news agency Angop reported Saturday.
Citing military sources, Angop said that heavy fighting continued around the garrison town, which has been besieged by UNITA rebels and their South African allies for the past two months. Rebels of UNITA, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, have fought Angola’s Marxist government, which is backed by about 35,000 Cuban troops, since 1975.
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