(General killed soldiers who fled, say guerrillas

Press, 25 March 1980, Page 9

(General killed soldiers who fled, say guerrillas

NZPA Algiers The Polisario Front, whose guerrillas are fighting a bitter war against Morocco, has said that a Moroccan general in a rage shot 10 Moroccan soldiers who had fled from the guerrillas during the battle of the Draa River in southern Morocco earlier this month. in a statement issued in Algiers, the Polisario said that General Ahmed Dlimi was furious to see his troops flee in disarray on March 10 and had ordered, from his helicopter, the round-up of several Moroccan soldiers by military police. About 10 soldiers were assembled and taken to Quinet Torkaz, beyond the Quarkziz Mountains at the

base of which the fighting, took place, the Polisarioj: said. - ; When he got out of his helicopter, General Dlimi i (fired at point-blank range on 'the 10 soldiers, including an i [adjutant. He then demoted (several non-ccmmissioned (officers, and officers in the ; [presence of Moroccan armed| forces units, the Polisario ■■ statement said. General Dlimi is King ! Hassan’s top military adviser. The Algerian-backed Polisario, which is fighting to establish its Saharan Arab Democratic Republic in the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara, claimed that it had put 2000 Moroccan soldiers out of action in the Draa fighting from March 1 to 11. Foreign journalists

.who were taken on a battle-: (field tour by the Polisario! isaw heaps of bodies in Mo-[ roccan uniforms and burntout armoured vehicles. The Moroccans have! acknowledged that a battle took place, but have derided the Polisario’s victory claims and kill count. I The guerrillas, backed by' Algeria and Libya, have: been fighting for the inde-; pendence of the Western Sahara since Spain left several years ago Morocco and, Mauritania occupied the territory after the Spanish withdrawal, but last year Mauritania gave up the fight to keep its share of the phosphate-rich area and signed a peace agreement with the guerrillas. Morocco at once assumed sovereignty over the whole territory.