Soviet transport planes replenish Afghan theater

Heavy Soviet Antonov military transport planes droned into Kabul airport almost unannounced Sunday through a heavy mist, bringing new supplies of food and equipment for Soviet forces in eastern Afghanistan. Their sudden appearance in the air corridor into Kabul brought control tower operations to a standstill and held up the departure of an Afghan Airlines flight to Moscow that was about to take off.

Sunday was the second day of what appeared to be a stepped-up airlift in support of the estimated 70,000 to 80,000 Soviet troops now in the country -- officially at the invitation of Afghanistan's new strongly pro-Moscow government.