Somoza devastates his own cities

Press, 16 June 1979, Page 8

Somoza devastates his own cities

i NZPA-Reuter ■ Managua | The Nicaraguan Governimrnt planes have bombed a [slum area of Managua and [tanks and light artillery I have blasted guerrilla [strongholds in the second [city of Leon as President [Anrstasio Somoza battles to | prevent a Left-wing guerrilla [take-over. ; Dense clouds of spioke billowed into the sky over [ the slum quarters of the [capital yesterday as the [President called in his Air ! Force in a bid to dislodge

; the Sandinist guerrillas, [making a do-or-die effort to topple him from power. 'They now hold more than 'half the city. [ Food is running desperately short as the Govemiment troops sealed off . roads leading into Managua and [looting broke out. I Four days of vicious [house-to-house fighting has [left hundreds dead and parts of the city in ruins. In the second city of Leon, to the north of Managua. Government guadsmen brought in light tanks and artillery to pound away at barricades manned by guerrillas who occupy most of the city. They have been trying to dislodge the Government troops from their central command post there. Earlier Government planes rocketed guorrilla positions on the pe-imeter of the command post. A Reuter correspondent, Augustin Fuentes, crouched with his family only a few hundred metres away from the main battle area. He reported heavy fire from the tanks and repeated sniper fire from guerrilla oositions. Bullets riddled the house next door. By nightfall it was not!

:, (clear if either side had 3[gained any advantage. '. General Somoza has acijcused Venezuela and Panama [of supplying weapons to the -[guerrillas, who are now - locked in a bitter struggle to 5 topple him. General Soil moza’s family have ruled the country for more than four 5 decades. s Tn Lima, a Leftist moves[ment called the Juventud [Aprista Peruana said some f[of its members were fighting -[in Nicaragua, thought to be lithe first time a foreign body I [has said its men were fighttjing alongside the Sandinists. -I Earlier the Nicaraguan f Government said a rifle bearing Venezuelan marki inss had been found on a ■. dead guerrilla, and another I dead guerrilla was identified •[by the National Guard as a i[ Salvadorean. h American Air Force planes II have flown a total of 221 [ people out of Managua on , the first three days of a resI cue mission. All commercial; ' flights have been halted. 1 United States sources said the rescue flights would con- j ; tinue as long as foreigners; 1 wanted to leave Managua. The Japanese Government; ; has ordered all 34 Japanese; [nationals living in Managua; :ito leave.