The New York Times of December 16th carried a report from a special Gorrespondent, Lioyd Garrison, who is with units of the Angolan Liberation drmy in Northern ingola, “e hove oxtracted some cf the most rovesling ports,
Almost every night a column of Angola rebels slips across the border from the Congo, The rebels are bound for secret staging camps here in the north of Angola, They carry mines, mortars, bazookas and new automa tic rifles, The influx of men and weapons is a vital part of the rebels! first major drive against the Tortuguese since the revolt for independence erupted more than two and a half years ago,
The drive is being pressed by 7,500 disciplined troops of the Angolan Liberation Army with modern weapons received from abroad, langed against the rabels aro more than 40,000 Portuguose troops, Lisbon mrintains that ingolo is a province of fortugal end has vowed to defond it at all costs, It is a bitter, frustrating war of ambush and counter—anbush, of mines plantod along trails and beside wator holes, of forays against Tortuguese—-held bridges and communication lines,
In March, 1961, when the rovolt began, the robelse had only one ndvantages the element of surprise, Uxcept for a few ingolan deserters from the Trortugueso army, none of the insurgents had any military training. a thore Was no overall strategy and only a trickle of supplies filtered through from jngolan exilea in the Congo, In recent months, however, the oentiro character of the rebellion has changed,
Today tha troops of the .ingolan Liberation imy are soldiers who have passed through o rigorous basic training course at Camp Kinkugu in the Congo, Tho camp wea started by 22 Angolan officors who little more than a year ago wore undergoing basic training thensolvos in .ilgeria. Camp Kinkuz is now turning our roinforcements for the .ingolan rebels at a rate of 2,200 nen every 8 wocks,
In addition, 25 menbers of the banned Pan-African Congress in South Afriea ond 50 volunteers from South—Vest Africa are being trained in guerilla warfare at Kinkum, Ctherse are expected to follow them, ‘War material for the ingolans has come almost entirely from Algeria. 1 new, 100-ton .lgerian arms shipment will probably contain onough weapons to arm 7,000 men,
Arms, ammunition, bandages, even typewriter ribbons are carried into Angola on the hends of bearers over narrow aninnl tracks, The bearers narch at night to avoid enemy patrols and epotter ' splanes, often covering 40 mile? by daybreak, It ia 9 crude system qf supply, but it works, Sone ~ columns of bearers trek as much as 200 miles southward to the "rotten trian- aie gle" « mountainous rebel stronghold where fighting is particualrly intense, :
Angolan military leaders like Antonio Muandazi, the 32-year-old commander here in Serra de Canda, 65 miles in the interior, have no illusions about 2 clear-cut military victory, “The war here is like Algeria” ho said, “ifa can't beat the Portuguese in the field but we can wear them down until the politicians are ready to talk," He added: "This is a war of the will, It took the Algerians 7 years before the French gave in. We ara just as determined.*®
Antonio Muandazi commands more than 1,000 men. Yot his uniforn is the seme as a private™s, Wo one in the Angolan Liberation Army woaors any 4dentifying insignia, Officers and men olike ad‘treass oach other as “Comrade” - a term borrowed from the Algerians, "Tho troops know who is who,” Comman~der Husandazi said, “After independence we can have a regular army with bars ond chevrons and no doubt someone will invent some medals, Iut not now."
His remarke reflected a spirit that motivates this army: that ell mon share equally the hardships of war and that, while there must be sergeants and officers to command and lead, rank bestows no spocial privilege, Uvery soldier is a voluntcer, No ono if peidsesseces a |