ANGOLAN troops mounted an attack on Zambian soldiers in April, but only in an effort to defend their territory from an incursion by Zambian forces, the Angolan embassy in Lusaka said on Thursday. A group of 24 Zambian soldiers crossed the frontier into its western neighbour on April 27 and engaged in a gunfight with Angolan forces that left one Zambian soldier dead, the embassy said in a statement. Three days later, Angolan Foreign Minister Joao Bernardo de Miranda filed an official complaint with the Zambian government over its alleged military misdemeanour, and called for an urgent bilateral meeting. Angola’s version of events contrasts markedly with that provided on May 10 by Zambian Defence Minister Chitalu Sampa, who accused Angolan forces of crossing into northwestern Zambia and killing a soldier on the frontier.