ST. GEORGE’S GRENADA was at 3:30 p.m. today still the scene of fighting as the combined American and Caribbean forces struggled to wipe out the last pockets of resistance to the invasion of that country.
At that time Grenadians, huddling in the safety of their homes were also virtually cut out from the outside world due to a breakdown in the circuits on the overseas telephone service.
However, the American-controlled radio broadcasting on the medium wave band at 1580 героrted that fighting was still was still continuing.
No word was available on what casualties either the combined forces, said to be about 2 000 in strength, including 300 Caribbean troops, or the Grenada Armed Forces had suffered.
The only news on casualties concerned those Cuban workers defending the Point Saline Airport. According to latest reports some 12 died and 22 were injured.
As far as the success of the operation at the time of writing was concerned American Secretary of State George Shultz, in a live interview over Voice of America, said that both airports In Grenada had been secured along with the campus of the St. George School of Medicine.
Other reports indicated that the combined forces were also in control of Fort Rupert, the general hospital, the power company and other vital installations.
Schultz, who declined to comment on casualties did, however, note that none of the estimated 1 000 Americans on the island had suffered injury.
It was also reported, but not confirmed that injury to civilians, if any, was done to a minimum.
With the lack of communication by way of telephone it was impossible to determine, at Press time, how Grenadians were faring at that time.
Calls made before 2 p.m. to civilians at random revealed that everybody was remaining indoors and that most people were overjoyed by the fact that, as one man put it, they were now really free.
This reaction conflicted with reports from Communist sources that the Grenadian civilian population was fighting for their lives using anything at their disposal, including “sticks and stones.”
Meanwhile as the fighting continued the Grenada Armed Forces were trying to maintain contact with the people by way of broadcasts emanating from the Russian embassy, but these were being reportedly jammed by the Americans.
Source: This article was first published by The Nation Publishing Co. Ltd. On October 25, 1983.
