LAST WEEK the El Salvador defence minister José Guillermo Garcia held a press contference to announce that 'we are in total control of the country' As he spoke the lights went out, when the guerrillas of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) blew up power pylon in the San Salvador region.
The destruction of power supplies by the guerrillas is part of a nationally co-ordinated campaign of sabotage which is crippling the economy. This sabotage campaign is just one part of a new offensive being waged on all the major military fronts by the FMLN.
The success of the prescut olicuisive llas collic as a sharp blow to the Duarte junta and its US backers, especially since they were confident that the failure of the guerrillas January offensive to overthrow the governmen nau the tide in their favour.
The United States is beginning to realise that despite its huge inflow of arms and advisors, the war going very badly for them and their Salvadoran Last month the FMLN launched a big offensive the 'Eastern Front' capturing the northeastern town of Perquin staging attacks throughout the Morazan region.
Morale Over the past six monspokespeople have admitted, arlosses have totalled 1,350 casualties, including killed other words government forces have suffered 12 per Casualic in half year, a bitter blow to their worrying feature for the government is lne incrcasig acculacy of the guerrillas' ground fire which is putting military helicopters repeatedly out of service.
forces are doing badly militarily, the sabotage campaign has damaged the economy considerably. per cent of the country has been without power at one time or another, and business in three has had to close down for a period The shrimp fishing and fish cannıng industries have virtually ground to a Hall The government's response has DeCI LWO• fold. Attempting a re-run Vietnam tactics, forces have been engaged scale cleanup operations, making broad sweeps of the country with helicopters and infantry divisions. Just as in Viethave very limited success these operations guerrilla which simply melt away been a sharp increase in The l repression in towns. The legal aid office diocese of San Salvador claims that 536 civilians Guerrilla strongholds Persistent guerrilla activity HONDURAS MORAZAN San Miguel Overshadowing all the in the military struggle Despite the support for the revolutionary oppositions in the the course of the war is now becoming one of classical rural guerrilla warfare.
Control While the government forces continue to control the major towns, the countryside is increasingly in the hands of the guerrillas.
The • United States risks becoming ever-more deeply involved in a Vietnam style conflict.
Its military advisors are attempting to imposs all the techniques of the Vie nam war - 'strategic ham search and destroy operations, and helicopter attacks.
But these techniques are coming up against the lundamental problem of counter-insurgency techni ques, that it is impossible win militarily when the guerrillas have already won politically. It has now become impossiwin, even American aid and arms for the junta will delay the revolutionaries' victory.
activities are stepped up in response to USA military action in the Carib bean, this new badge has won a design conEntries in this monthly contest are judged their radical graphic design merit, The winner You can enter your badge by writing for an 52 Acre Grenada badge can be each and a stamped selfaddressed envelope to The British Grenadian Friendship Society c/o 4 Windus Walk, Lon-
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Tactics While the government