Operation Eland

Part of the Rhodesian Bush War

Date	9 August 1976
Location	Nyadzonya, Mozambique Nyadzonya Operation Eland (Mozambique) 18°31′57″S 33°23′18″E / 18.5326°S 33.3883°E / -18.5326; 33.3883 (ZANLA Base at Nyadzonya)Coordinates: 18°31′57″S 33°23′18″E / 18.5326°S 33.3883°E / -18.5326; 33.3883 (ZANLA Base at Nyadzonya)
Result	Rhodesian victory

Belligerents

Rhodesia

ZANLA (ZANU)

Mozambique

Commanders and leaders

Ian Smith
Ron Reid-Daly

Strength

Rhodesia: 84

ZANLA: 5,000
Unknown number of Mozambican soldiers

Casualties and losses

4 injured

ZANLA: 1,028 - 2,000
Mozambique: 30

Rhodesia

Ian Smith
Ron Reid-Daly

Operation Eland, also known as the Nyadzonya Raid, was a pre-emptive strike carried out by operatives of the Rhodesian Selous Scouts at Nyadzonya in Mozambique on 9 August 1976. The Rhodesians claimed 300 ZANLA and 30 FAM (Armed Forces of Mozambique) soldiers were killed; documentation captured after the event suggested that 1,028 were killed.

On 5 August 1976, a group of 60 ZANLA guerrillas entered Rhodesia from Mozambique and attacked a military base at Ruda, near Umtali. Four days later, guerrillas killed four soldiers in a mortar attack, and another died in a follow-up operation. The local white population demanded that action be taken.

Operation Eland was hatched, and involved a cross-border raid by 84 Selous Scouts under Captain Rob Warraker against a concentration of guerrillas located at a training camp on the Nyadzonya River, 40 kilometres (25 mi) away in Mozambique. The attacking column consisted of four Ferret armoured cars and seven armoured Unimogs, two of which were armed with 20mm Hispano cannons scavenged from obsolete aircraft. The vehicles were disguised to make them look like they belonged to FRELIMO, while the men wore uniforms to match. Amongst the soldiers was a turned former ZANLA commander by the name of Morrison Nyathi, who led the attackers to the camp.

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Wikipedia