COMBAT IN PANAMA : PANAMA UPDATE

The Fighting Armed bands said by U.S. military officials to be directed by ousted dictator Manuel A. Noriega staged a bloody attack less than a mile from the American military headquarters. Firing mortars, machine guns and automatic rifles, the attackers hit Panama’s national police headquarters. American forces were caught by surprise and several people were wounded amid the confusion. Panama City Looters ransacked stores for the third day. Refugees fleeing the fighting took cover in soccer stadiums, churches and schools. Noriega loyalists tried to assassinate Ricardo Arias Calderon, Panamanian vice president installed by the United States. He was not injured. Several pro-Noriega bands surrendered in western Panama. Washington President Bush told Congress it was impossible to predict the “scope and duration” of the U.S. intervention. The Organization of American States said in Washington it “deeply deplored” the invasion and called for withdrawal of American forces. Casualties Twenty-one American troops and two female dependents have been killed, 202 wounded, and two soldiers and one civilian are missing. U.S. officials said 127 Panamanian soldiers were killed and 69 wounded.