Nicaraguan MI-24 Copter Downed, Contras Claim
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TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — U.S.-backed contra forces on Friday claimed that they shot down a Soviet-made MI-24 helicopter in combat with Sandinista government troops in Nicaragua.
It was the fifth such claim from the Nicaraguan Democratic Force, the main contra army, since combat began heating up after Congress approved $100 million in U.S. military and non-lethal aid to the rebels last fall.
Adela Icaza, a spokeswoman for the Nicaraguan Democratic Force, said the helicopter was downed with missiles Wednesday near the village of San Jose de Bocay in Nicaragua’s northern Jinotega province.
There was no immediate comment from the Sandinista government on the helicopter claim.
Meanwhile, peasants in southern Honduras near the Nicaraguan border said they feared Sandinista troops were mobilizing for another cross-border attack on contra bases.
“We are afraid something big is about to blow up,” said Eduardo Tercero, head of a coffee growers’ association in the zone.
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