Moroccan troops clash with Polisario guerrillas

Fierce fighting has raged on the border of the Western Sahara and Morocco for the past few days. Guerrillas of the Algerian-backed Polisario Front, fighting for the independence of the former Spanish colony since annexed by Morocco, said they shot down two Moroccan fighter planes. The battle began last Wednesday when the guerrillas attacked a large Moroccan force at Rous Lekhyalat. Many Moroccan troops were "knocked out" in fighting over an area where both sides have reported heavy clashes since mid-September.