European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 10, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday August 10, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 3 re soviets leaving Afghanistan defense of Kandahar turned Over to local troops Islamabad Pakistan a nearly 7,000 soviet troops have abandoned what used to be Afghanistan s second largest City leaving Young afghan forces with the Job of defending the devastated provincial capital diplomats said tues Day. Most of the 6,750 red army troops were evacuated from Kandahar by air last week but a huge column of Armor and heavy equipment continues to wind its Way cautiously North through Western Afghanistan according to the reports. Western diplomatic sources in Islamabad quoting witnesses said the last so Viet Soldier an officer drove his vehicle up to a transport plane walked up the ramp then tossed his keys Back in the seat for afghans to drive it away. Kandahar s population of 200,000 has dwindled to 20,000 during the 10 years of War according to Western estimates. Kabul s marxist government recently admitted that nearly 70 percent of the City s buildings have been damaged or razed to the  Western diplomats quoting Dis patches from Kabul said Kandahar has been left to some 3,000 Young and apprehensive afghan troops to face continuing rocket and ground attacks by determined moslem guerrillas. Meanwhile the Kabul government has invited 50 foreign correspondents to the capital to witness the ceremonial withdrawal of the first Kabul based soviet units. Diplomats said the two departing units have 500 soldiers each. They say about 20,000 soviet troops Are believed to be defending the heavily fortified City. Large units of s9viet and afghan troops moved West into the Raghman Plains last week to dislodge some 4,000 insurgents who threatened to disrupt the aug. 4-7 visit of soviet foreign minister soviet troops wave and smile As they head for the soviet Border after being withdrawn from Kandahar Afghanistan. Eduard Shevardnadze and the aug. 15 pullout ceremonies diplomats said. About 100 fighters on each Side have been killed in the Battle according to their estimates. Security was so tight during Shevardnadze s stay that upon his departure his plane was protected by eight Mi-24 Heli copter gunships plus jets above the Cloud cover All dropping clusters of flares to Ward off any anti aircraft mis Siles. Western diplomatic sources said they believe Shevardnadze s visit was to re assure afghan communists of the Krem Lin s continued support and to report on his talks with pakistani foreign minister Sahibzada Yaqub Khan whose country backs the guerrillas with . Help. If Moscow Sticks to its withdrawal timetable half of its More than 100,000 troops should be out of Afghanistan by aug. 15. Western pakistani and guerrilla sources predict Kabul s communist re Gime will fall quickly in the absence of soviet military might. Justice department approves partial merger of Detroit papers _. _ Detroit a the owners of the Detroit news and Detroit free press praised the attorney general s Deci Sion to allow a partial merger of the newspapers while employees toasted their reprieve from death  general Edwin Meese Iii on monday granted the newspapers application to Combine their business production and circulation departments. He said that without a partial merger the free press the nation s loth largest newspaper in terms of circulation could not Stem the losses that had brought it to the rink of failure. Keen Competition aimed at Market domination and future profitability Competition waged energetically but both responsibly and properly has move both newspapers into intractable loss positions from which Only one the news now appears to have an reasonable Prospect of emerging said Meese who is scheduled to leave office in  of Knight Ridder inc., owner of the free press had threatened to close the newspaper unless Mees approved the joint operating agreement. Gannett co. Inc s news the nation s eighth largest newspaper had Adaily circulation Lead of about 40,000 in March. This decision reaffirms the will of the Congress that two Independent edit9iial voices should be pre served wherever possible in the cities of America said Alvah h. Chapman jr., Knight Ridder chairman. Gannett chairman Allen Neuharth and gannet president John j. Curley said they too were gratified. We said All along that the Joa was the 9nly Way to preserve two Independent news and editorial voices they said in a statement from Gannett Headquarters i Arlington. A. The attorney general s decision is in the Best interest of the Community the readers the advertisers and the  free press employees toasted the decision wit Champagne in plastic cups. It was like a Rush. Waiting for the decision is like living on death Row said senior managing editor Neal Shine who had been assigned to write the news paper s obituary if the partial merger had been denied. However the newspaper Guild local 22, the last of the newspapers unions to drop its opposition to the Joa was critical of Meese s decision. This is a travesty of the newspaper preservation act said Lou Mleczko a reporter at the news and president of the Union which has 1,100 members at the two  feel it would have been an extraordinary tragedy if this paper died said David Lawrence jr., publisher of the 157-year-old free  rejected recommendations by the depart ment s antitrust division and by an administrative Law judge that the agreement be turned  had concluded that the newspapers losses resulted from pricing decisions and could be reduced if the newspapers raised prices to cover the Cost of oper , however said the free press with a 20-cent newsstand Price in the Detroit area already was 5 cents higher priced than the news. There is thus no competitive advantage to be gained by Knight Ridder from a unilateral increase in prices Meese said. The joint operating agreement was the fifth approved by the Justice department under the newspaper preservation act of 1970, which allows limited antitrust exemption to preserve Independent editorial voices in a Community where one newspaper is in Dan Ger of  the 100-year joint operating agreement the free press will publish on weekday mornings and the news on weekday  newspapers will split responsibilities on week ends when a combined edition called the Detroit news and free press will be  agreement Means a maximum of 500 people at both papers could lose their jobs Lawrence said. A significant number have indicated they will take Early retirement helping to hold Down the layoffs Lawrence said. Wei vets auxiliary closes out account Cleveland a the three remaining members of a world War i veterans auxiliary have closed out their Bank account and turned Over the $162 to a Vietnam veterans group struggling to raise Money for a National reunion. Carlyn Irwin said she and the other two auxiliary members remembered the treatment their husbands received when they returned from the battlefields. You Don t remember that world War i vets had a rough time when they came  marched on Washington to get their benefits. It was a National disgrace said Irwin whose late husband Fred served in France. I feel my husband and his buddies would be proud of what we Are  the auxiliary of Barracks 1859 of the Veter ans of world War i in suburban Lakewood decided to donate the $162 after Reading that the organizers of this weekend s planned reunion could t raise the Money they needed. Most world War i vets Are in their 90s or dead she said. I thought this was the time to close out the account and give it to the  Al Petree of the Cleveland based North coast Vietnam veterans said organizers of the Conven Tion firebase Cleveland Don t have enough Money to pay for the Cleveland convention Center where they expect As Many As 50,000 veterans to gather this weekend. If the group cannot raise $35,000, Petree said we scratch the convention Center and find an other  Early another convention organizer said the auxiliary s donation was a Welcome sur prise. Early said the Vietnam veterans have been disappointed in their efforts to drum up needed corporate support for their five Day convention