U.S. call to back Afghans

Press, 16 April 1980, Page 9

U.S. call to back Afghans

NZPA-Reuter Washington A senior member of the Armed Services Committee of the United States House of Representatives, just returned from a tour of countries bordering Afghanistan, has called on President Jimmy Carter to begin supplying arms to Afghanistan troops fighting the Soviet military intervention in their country.-

“Here is one plain, simple, direct, and manifestly inexpensive way to help stop Russian aggression dead in its tracks,” Representative Sam Stratton said.

There have been reports that the United States is already providing secret help to the Afghan rebels. But Mr Stratton said he had met with rebels in Pakistan and had seen no evidence of United States weapons. .

Mr Stratton said the'rebels had pleaded with the 15 House members oh the trip to obtain “weapons of any kind so they can go back across the Khyber Pass and fight some more against'the Soviet invaders of their homeland.” . Muslim rebels attacked a small garrison in Afghanistan’s Helmand province last week and forced it to surrender, the rebel Hezbi Islam Organisation has announced in Peshawar, Pakistan.