Contras Reportedly Kill 8 Civilians
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MANAGUA, Nicaragua — U.S.-backed contras killed eight civilians, including a woman and a child, in a raid on a farming cooperative Saturday, the Nicaraguan Defense Ministry said.
The Rafael Martinez cooperative is about 95 miles northeast of Managua and 36 miles from Matagalpa, the site of today’s scheduled celebrations of the left-wing Sandinista government’s eight years in power.
Sandinista officials have said Matagalpa, in a region receiving frequent contra attacks, was chosen as a symbol of the toll the war is taking.
The ministry said the attackers were eventually repelled by militia forces defending the cooperative.
The government has adopted strict security measures for the celebrations, including numerous army patrols along the highway leading from Managua to Matagalpa and helicopter surveillance of nearby hills.
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