NICARAGUA CLAIMS IT BEAT REBEL ATTACKERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000404560014-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 15, 2010
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: March 24, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/15: CIA-RDP90-00552R000404560014-9
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
24 March 1983
Nicaragua clai~is It
beat rebel
attackers
-SAN RAMON, Nicaragua [UPI] - tion ' by the rebels since they began
Sandinista Militia commanders said sporadic attacks from Honduras
Wednesday that they had routed against the Sandinistas three years
rebel invaders in fighting for the ago, authorities said.
. _. _.___
town of Can R
b
mon
ut
misnes were believed to be un-
derway around two other towns in
northeastern Nicaragua.
Deputy Foreign Minister Victor
Tinoco expressed his leftist govern-
ment's concern that the "massive
infiltration" of 2,000 rightist rebels
into Nicaragua was a prelude to an
attack by Honduras.
'Tinoco's comments in New York
came only hours after Nicaragua
charged that Honduran soldiers had
fired mortars and machine guns into
its territory in support of what it
called a U.S.-sponsored invasion.
'The United Nations Security Coun-
cil was holding closed-door consulta-
tions to decide on a possible emer-
gency meeting Wednesday at the
request of the Nicaraguan govern-
ment.
TRUCKS CARRYING 350 troops
arrived Tuesday in Matagalpa prov-
ince, one of the centers of fighting
between Sandinista troops and the
rightists allegedly receiving U.S.
support.
In San Ramon, 60 miles northeast
of Managua, members of the San-
dinista militia said they and army
soldiers had beaten the guerrillas in
fighting during the past week.
One militia leader said the
rightists never posed a threat to San
Ramon despite rebel radio reports
that the insurgents had seized the
caragua
mountain town. But the militiamen To bolster the claims of U.S. inter-
said fighting apparently was un- vention. a cites t-S . n w
derway to the east near the town of r 519 mi io lA era-
Rio Blanco and possibly south near - v by
dent Ragan
San Dionisio. and managed by the U.S ambassa-
The incursion by the rightists into dor to Honduras Jo n Neerooonte
Matagalpa was the deepest penetra- to destabilize Nicaragua.
newThe front would soon pen.
,.re is an understanding be-
tween the forces in the north and in
the south that the operation would
continue," said Fernando Chamorro,
a leader of the Honduran-based Ni-
caraguan Democratic Front, on the
clandestine rebel radio "15 -de Sep-
tiembre."
in a protest note, the Nicaraguan
Foreign Ministry accused Honduran
troops of firing mortars and machine
guns Sunday on positions inside Nic-
aragua. The note said the Ni-
caraguans held their fire and there
were no casualties.
Honduras issued no immediate re-'
sponse to the note.
IN AN INTERVIEW on NBC's
Today show, Tinoco cited the attack
as one indication that Hondurans
may be planning a larger military
action to support the rebels.
"There are about 2,000 men inside
the country," he said. "They do not
represent a military threat. The
problem is they could represent a
secondary thing from a bigger action
against Nicaragua."
Managua announced the na-
tionalization Tuesday of food distri-
bution and said martial law may be
imposed to help fight the right-wing
Nicaraguan exiles mounting a two-
pronged offensive inside Ni
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/15: CIA-RDP90-00552R000404560014-9