From 12 October 1981 to 30 May 1982, a series of operations took place under the umbrella of Handsak (handbag), with companies being deployed for five weeks at a stretch. The first deployment covered the area east of Cahama as far north as Techipa and Peu Peu, but no major bases or large concentrations of SWAPO were located, only occasional groups of three to five men. By mid-October, intelligence sources reported a large SWAPO base for 300 men west of the bridge and south of the river at Cahama. The town was occupied by a strong combined force of FAPLA, Russians and Cubans, and it had become impossible to conduct aerial reconnaissance because of the anti-aircraft guns.

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