THE corpses of dozens of Zimbabwean troops lay strewn on Thursday around the small village of Eshimba in central Democratic Republic of Congo’s Eastern Kasai province. Our correspondent saw bloated and disfigured corpses clothed in uniforms of the Zimbabwean army, which backs DRC President Laurent Kabila against rebels bent on ousting him. Most appeared to have died as a result of explosions, while others displayed gunshot wounds. All were believed to have been killed in an ambush on Monday. On Tuesday, Zimbabwe denied claims by the DRC rebels that it had lost 150 soldiers deployed in the DRC. Major Steven Madzokere, commander of Zimbabwe’s 32nd Battalion, was killed in the incident, according to rebels, who showed his identity card.