WORLD IN BRIEF : SOUTH AFRICA : De Klerk Reports Major Defense Cuts
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South African President Frederik W. de Klerk announced a major defense reduction, cutting mandatory military service in half and promising to close some military units and facilities. The announcement in Johannesburg came two weeks after South Africa completed the withdrawal of its troops from Namibia, where they had fought a bush war against pro-independence guerrillas since 1966. Ten days ago, in a reversal to longstanding policies of his predecessor, Pieter W. Botha, De Klerk scrapped a nationwide security network that was denounced as an unaccountable shadow government.
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