Arab challenge to Soviets

Press, 31 August 1977, Page 8

Arab challenge to Soviets

NZPA Mogadishu | i Arab States and Iran are believed to be flying tons of i‘ light arms and medical supplies to Marxist Somalia in an apparent bid at undermining Soviet influence in the Horn of Africa, djp- ; lomatic sources in Moga dishu have said. And NZPA-Reuter quotes reliable African sources as saying that Ethiopia has in turn begun receiving mili- . tary aid from East Germany. About 15 air transports bearing Middle East markings reportedly landed in recent weeks at Mogadishu’s ocean-front airport. They included Cl3O Hercules of the Iranian Air Force carrying medical supplies and doctors, Egyptian : and Iraqi Antanov-12s thought to be loaded with ' war material, and at least one transport of the Royaf Saudi Arabian Air Force, sources said. According to NZPA-j Reuter, the African sources i said the East Germans,: acting at the behest of theL Soviet Union, had sent!, experts, small arms, and light anti-tank equipment toli Ethiopia over the last four, 1 weeks. The sources said that * some East Germans were J teaching members of the people's militia house-to- , house combat techniques, ■ apparently in anticipation of J urban fighting for the last 1 three Eritrean cities under Ethiopian control. The Ethiopians are fight- L ing major battles on two f fronts: against secessionists,' backed by Somalia, in the r Ogaden Desert in the east;T and against secessionists in j p the province of Eritrea; F .in the north-east. I Eritrean guerrillas have t I captured the only bridge!/

I connecting Eritrea with the I rest of Ethiopia, the Eritrean Liberation Front has said in , Damascus. They said that the capture of the bridge in a surprise attack would cut off all roads used by Ethiopia to supply its forces in Eritrea. Ethiopia said yesterday that its forces had killed 71 Somali soldiers in a battle near the Ogaden region. An Addis Ababa radio report, monitored in Nairobi, said the Somalis were killed in the Webi district of Bale province during a search and destroy mission by local militia and regular Ethiopian troops. The radio report said two Somali soldiers were killed! and numerous others’ wounded in another search and destroy operation in the ■ Guba district of the Bale region. It added that Somali ; forces also suffered serious | losses in an encounter with ithe people’s militia in the ’Kukusa district of the same ; 'region. The radio report, , could not be confirmed by! independent observers since’ visits to the front lines arej not permitted by either' Ethiopia or Somalia. Somalia has repeatedly denied that its regular forces are involved in the Ogaden fighting. However, diplomatic sources in Addis Ababa and Mogadishu said the 5000-man Western Somali, Liberation Army was inca-' pabfe of _ conducting large-1 scale military operations without Somali Army sup-1 port. The Somali President (Mrj Mohamed Siad Barre) is reported to be on his way to , Moscow for what diplomats predicted would be tough talks with Soviet leaders on the conflict in the Horn of Africa.