The World : Salvador Mobilizes 40,000 to Face Rebels

El Salvador mobilized 40,000 troops to combat a new offensive the army said has been launched by leftist guerrillas. Army strategist Col. Mauricio Ernesto Vargas said the troops are supported by artillery and air power and are fighting in San Salvador and Chalatenango provinces, where rebels recently sabotaged eight high-tension electrical relay towers, causing widespread power outages. “The counteroffensive is having excellent results in the protection of the property of the population,” Vargas said. Other units in the 55,000-man Salvadoran army have been sent to guard power relay towers elsewhere in the country, he said.