‘Black-painted Smith troops deep in Zambia’

Press, 7 November 1978, Page 8

‘Black-painted Smith troops deep in Zambia’

NZPA-Reuter Lusaka Zambia has said that Rhodesian forces, including some reported wearing Zam-bian-style uniforms and black paint on their white skins, were fighting within its borders and harassing travellers in the south. The Government statement came as further confirmation that white-led Rhodesian units were still fighting deep inside Zambia after a series of air raids which began more than two weeks ago. It also illustrated an apparent readiness by the Rhodesians to demonstrate their presence in Zambia — a move apparently intended to drive a wedge between Zambians and the Zimbabwe African People's Union guerrillas based in this country. The Government statement said the Zambian Army was “carrying out operations following . reports ' that rebel (Rhodesian) troops disguised in uniform similar to that of the Zambian Army and with their white skins painted black yesterday (on Saturday) harassed travellers on the Kafue-Kariba Road.”

Kafue is about 45km | south of Lusaka astride the | road to the border with Rhodesia on Lake Kariba 80km farther south. According to one eyewitness, Rhodesian troops, led by a white officer, ambushed a military truck on the road on Saturday and blew it up. Unconfirmed reports spoke of Zambians being shot dead by white Rhodesians on the road. The reports appeared to indicate that the Rhodesian Army had launched a big effort to strike at the presence of Z.A.P.U. — one wing of the Patriotic Front guerrillas fighting the Salisbury regime — inside Zambia. Just over two weeks ago, the Rhodesians launched their deepest air and ground strikes yet to hit at Z.A.P.U. camps over 160 km inside -Zambia, which is one of the “front-line” States, along with Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, and Tanzania, supporting the Patriotic Front.

Last Thursday the Rhodesians launched another air strike into Zambia to hit a Z-A.P.U. workshop and sup-

; ply camp only 15km from ■Lusaka. ! Since then, eyewitnesses ’have reported seeing unidentified aircraft flying low over Lusaka’s surrounding townships. The Rhodesian strategy is believed to be two-pronged: ito hit at Z.A.P.U. camps and |to fuel the discontentment of 'Zambians who are unhappy | with the presence of RhodeI sian nationalists on their ‘soil. There is speculation in Lusaka that the Rhodesians are trying to force President Kenneth Kaunda to expel the guerrillas from his territory. President Kaunda has insisted that his support for the Rhodesian nationalist guerrillas will not waver. But despite this, Zambia now seems to be much more closely involved in the six-year-old Rhodesian war than ever before. A Z.A.P.U. statement described the Rhodesian deepstrike tactics as a “panicky reaction by rebels who have failed to contain the war situation.”