SITUATION

1. Enemy

a. It was clear that the enemy were going to remain on the eastern side of the Cuito River unless they were forced to withdraw.

b. The enemy had begun to reinforce its forces in Dec 87. They believed (and still did) that we intended to attack and capture Cuito Cuanavale. The following aspects had been concentrated on:

i. Fortified defensive positions on the eastern side of the river.
ii. Import of Cubans to Cuito Cuanavale resulting in a spill-over- effect in manpower east of the river.
iii. Strengthening of the supply route Menongue - Cuito Cuanavale.

2. Ground Forces

a. The troops had to be home before Christmas.

b. The new troops had to come in and take over the operation. The old troops, comprising of the SWA infrastructure, SWA Scheduled troops, and MODULER troops had to be relieved...

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