South African tanks thrust 90 miles in, Angola says

Angola reports that two South African armored columns are "in violent combat" deep inside its territory and warned the United Nations the attack could ignite a war.

Citing a Defense Ministry statement, the Angolan news agency Angop said the two South African columns -- one with 32 tanks and 82 vehicles -- thrust across the border from Namibia Monday and advanced up to 90 miles north of the frontier.

Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, whose country has a large contingent of Cuban soldiers, claimed South Africa mobilized 45,000 troops to occupy parts of southern Angola with the aid of Angolan insurgents, the agency reported.