10 Contras Killed in Attack by 200, Nicaragua Reports
Ten Contras were killed when a contingent of 200 attacked Sandinista government troops, the Nicaraguan Defense Ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
The statement said the attack occurred Tuesday in Ubu Norte, a village in the northern province of Matagalpa. It did not mention Sandinista casualties or elaborate on the incident.
The reported attack appeared to be one of the biggest in the last two years. The Contras have generally operated in smaller groups since the U.S. Congress cut their military aid in February, 1988.
The military statement said the attack violated a unilateral cease-fire decreed by the leftist Sandinistas shortly after they were defeated in elections Feb. 25 by a pro-U.S. coalition.
Some Contras are resisting demobilization unless the Sandinista army is disbanded. The Sandinistas say they need the army for protection until the new government is installed on April 25.
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