
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, June 18, 1990                   TAG: 9006180159
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Short

NEWSWEEK: MOST SOLDIERS IN PANAMA HIT BY FRIENDLY FIRE

The majority of U.S. soldiers wounded in the invasion of Panama may have been hit by fire from their comrades in arms, according to Newsweek magazine.

As many as 60 percent of the 347 U.S. soldiers wounded in the invasion last December were probably hit by friendly fire, the magazine reported in its June 25 issue, which goes on sale today.

In addition, nine of the 23 U.S. soldiers killed were accidentally slain by other U.S. soldiers, Newsweek said, citing unidentified military sources.

The apparent reason, the magazine said, is that Americans did most of the shooting.

The magazine also said it had learned the Dec. 20 assault was not a surprise attack as intended and that the invasion was compromised by up to 15 different security leaks.

Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega, the leader of Panama who was the target of the attack, was told at 10 the night before the invasion that there was a chance the United States would attack, Newsweek said.

However, Noriega dismissed the reports, Newsweek said.

Newsweek also said it had learned that, contrary to the Bush administration's insistence that the invasion was a last-minute response to provocation after a U.S. soldier was shot, that plans for the invasion were approved by Bush in November.

by CNB