Difference between revisions of "Contras"
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| − | + | The Contras were a collection of guerilla groups and political parties dubbed "counter-revolutionaries" by the leftist [[Sandinista]] government of [[Nicaragua]] in the 1980s. The [[United States of America|United States]] under President [[Ronald Reagan]] covertly supported the Contras and their death squads. | |
Revelations of this covert funding fueled the [[Iran-Contra_Affair|Iran-Contra affair]]. [[Oliver North]], who was intimately involved with the funding, is currently a senior correspondent at the [[Fox News Channel]]. | Revelations of this covert funding fueled the [[Iran-Contra_Affair|Iran-Contra affair]]. [[Oliver North]], who was intimately involved with the funding, is currently a senior correspondent at the [[Fox News Channel]]. | ||
Revision as of 13:06, May 21, 2007
The Contras were a collection of guerilla groups and political parties dubbed "counter-revolutionaries" by the leftist Sandinista government of Nicaragua in the 1980s. The United States under President Ronald Reagan covertly supported the Contras and their death squads.
Revelations of this covert funding fueled the Iran-Contra affair. Oliver North, who was intimately involved with the funding, is currently a senior correspondent at the Fox News Channel.
The Contras' brutality earned them a wide notoriety. They regularly destroyed health centers, schools, agricultural cooperatives, and community centers-symbols of the Sandinistas' social programs in rural areas. People caught in these assaults were often tortured and killed in the most gruesome ways. People had their testicles cut off, eyes poked out, throats slit, limbs chopped off, and heads chopped off.
Despite their reputation for brutality, the Contras were called the "Moral Equivalent of our Founding Fathers" by President Reagan.
See: Boland amendment.
Sources
- Cuba: State Sponsored Terrorism Nicaragua 1979.
- [[1]]
