European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 16, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Daily Magazine up photo rebel guards Mountain by Barry Renfrew associated press the War in Afghanistan is apparently taking a bitter new turn As soviet commanders adopt a strategy of trying to destroy popular support for the guerrillas who have opposed them for five years and smash the insurgents Supply in soviet forces began a major assault against guerrilla held areas in Eastern pouring in More than combat troops and hundreds of jets and helicopter according to guerrilla leaders and Western intelligence soviet forces were being concentrated in the Central and Western sections of the country for similar they the assault on Kunar and lag Man provinces in the East is seen by the guerrillas and Western observers As the first stage in a major summer offensive to Cut off weapons and supplies coming across the nearby Paki Stani Border to guerrilla soviet and afghan government forces Are also launch ing major anti insurgency sweeps to prevent the guerrillas from obtaining from local sources the shelter and information they need to they the soviets Are going to make their biggest this will be a critical said Gul Baddin Leader of one of the main afghan guerrilla after five years of largely unsuccessful at tempts at trying to Hunt Down and destroy guerrilla soviet and afghan government commanders Are now attempting to defeat their opponents by destroying their local support and Supply major resistance leaders and Western diplomatic and intelligence sources said in recent interviews with the associated pakistani president Mohammed Ziaulhaq said after a meeting in Moscow with new soviet Leader Mik Hail Gorbachev that he was Given a Tough warning to Stop allowing the guerrillas or Mujahideen to operate from his All of the guerrilla groups operate from and arms and Aid from the United states and other nations Are channelled through Paki my impression is that Gorbachev May be impatient to see Zia said after the March sooner or later and perhaps sooner they will go Flat out to Clear it in the communist government of Afghanistan revived the country grand Assembly for the first time since it came to Power to rally popular support for its War a strategy of sealing the Pakistan Border to Stop the flow of guerrilla fighters and weapons was and afghan leaders spoke of a decisive leaders of All the major Mujahideen groups said the soviets Are increasing their military Effort under a Vig Orous new leadership in since Gorbachev came to Power we have seen the intensification of the he has shown his intentions with More and More attacks on said Burhanuddin head of regarded As the most effective of the guerrilla Sayed head of the afghan information Center in an Independent group that monitors events inside said reports coming across the Border All describe a new determination in soviet military it is quite evident that since Gorbachev came to Power Treyve increased their offensive on every the soviets in Kabul Moscow puts More Power in its afghan punch a Village militiaman near Kabul stands with his Vintage National geographic photo he Western diplomats in Islamabad who Monitor Afghanistan agree with the guerrillas assessments that soviet forces Are following a new strategy of trying to destroy support for the the soviet military leadership has been frustrated by Lack of Success against the guerrillas and want a free they said in interviews Given on condition they not be Yunis a top guerrilla said the soviets Are employing depopulation tactics to destroy support for the soviet and afghan War planes Are carpet bombing villages in guerrilla areas and helicopter gunships and ground forces finish off the work by burning firing on civilians and destroy ing crops and irrigation he some five million afghans out of a population of 20 million have already fled to Pakistan and Iran and More have gone to major cities such As Kabul to escape the fighting and Many More people will be forced to flee in the coming Khalis the soviet Union is estimated to have troops in but Western diplomats dont expect this figure to Rise by much in the near future despite mos cows new military the diplomats and Mujahideen commanders say Only part of the soviet forces Are on combat duty at any one time and most Are tied Down guarding figures on Mujahideen losses do not but maj Rooh estimates the guerrillas have suffered More losses in the first four months of this year than in All of there have been growing reports from Afghanistan of soviet and afghan government attacks on Vil Lages suspected of aiding the hundreds of civilians reportedly have been killed in such attacks and villages have been Western diplomats in Islamabad said recently that they had confirmed reports from inside Afghanistan that More than women and children were killed in reprisal raids when soviet troops attacked 12 villages in lag Man a series of reports of similar incidents have been coming out of Afghanistan since the end of june 1985 the stars and stripes Page 13