The main target of the Rhodesian raid was Mkushi camp, where the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) was training its guerrillas.
ZIPRA was the armed wing of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU), then waging a bush war against the Rhodesian government of Ian Douglas Smith.
Raids into ZIPRA camps in Zambia were carried out by specialized Rhodesian military units led by the notorious Green Leader, real name Chris Dixon, who openly ordered the Zambian airforce not to interfere with their operations or face similar action.
We are simply targeting Rhodesian terrorists.”In a shocking response, the Zambian base commander communicating with Green Leader agrees to keep his Soviet-supplied MIG Fighter planes on the ground.
The farm he bought was among what were called abandoned farmlands which white farmers had left in the hands of the lands board.