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After last September's incident, government troops raided guerrilla bases across the border in Zambia, killing some 1,500 people who they claimed were guerrillas and who Nkomo claimed were mostly innocent civilians. This time the Rhodesian reaction was equally swift: Rhodesian jets whistled down on several guerrilla bases in southern Zambia, bombing and rocketing the primitive rural camps. Rhodesia termed the raids successful, but what effect they will have on the war is another matter. The Patriotic Front forces of Nkomo and Robert Mugabe are now in control of large areas of the Rhodesian bush. Besides reserve forces in neighboring countries, the Patriotic Front has an estimated 12,000 guerrillas inside Rhodesia, which is just about as many men as the Salisbury government has on active duty. Fully 90% of Rhodesia is now under some form of martial law.
The attack on RH-827 was yet another indication of the guerrillas' growing strength and further proof that Nkomo seems determined to raise as much havoc as he can before the spring election. Late in January, Rhodesia's white minority overwhelmingly approved a referendum committing them to join 2.8 million black voters at the polls on April 20 to elect a majority-rule government that Smith hopes will gain international recognition as legitimate.
Although the Viscount crash increased white Rhodesians' defiance, it also deepened their feeling of encirclement. Joking references to the Kariba-Salisbury air route as "Flight SAM-7" that were voiced in Salisbury after September's attack were not repeated last week. Indeed, whites' feelings of vulnerability were further heightened by the experience of the Viscount sent out to survey the RH-827 crash site. Flying low to reduce the risk of being hit by a missile, the pilot felt a slight jar and thought the plane had struck a bird. After it landed, five bullet holes were found in the fuselage. ∎