News In Brief

Defense chief says Salvador has napalm but hasn't used it

A top Salvadorean official acknowledged for the first time Monday that his country has stocks of napalm fire-bombs but has not used them. Defense Minister Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova said the Air Force has about 25 napalm bombs ''but as far as I know they have never been used and the planes do not even have the equipment to fire or drop them.''

Some US aid groups charged recently that the bombs had been used and said they had seen napalm burns on civilians.