Argentines Observe 3rd Anniversary of Falklands Conflict
BUENOS AIRES — The Argentine government and the country’s war veterans Tuesday marked the third anniversary of Argentina’s ill-fated invasion of the Falkland Islands.
President Raul Alfonsin attended a religious Mass in memory of the more than 650 Argentine army, navy and air force soldiers who died in the 1982 war.
Combat veterans staged a march to the government palace to commemorate the former military government’s unsuccessful effort to regain control of the islands, which Argentina contends were seized illegally by Britain in 1833.
On April 2, 1982, Argentine troops stormed the Falklands and overwhelmed a British contingent. The incident prompted a 74-day war, with British forces defeating Argentina’s military and the islands returning to British control.
On Tuesday, the 4,000-strong British military garrison in the Falklands on Tuesday began major exercises on land and sea and in the air.
The 1,800 civilian Falklanders were warned that the exercises, which involve simulated attacks by ground forces, will include an increase in low-flying aircraft.
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