On 3 September 1978 , a Russian-supplied heat-seeking missile was used to shoot down a civilian airliner , Air Rhodesia Flight 825 , near Kariba . Miraculously , 18 people , including children , survived the crash only for most of them to be shot in cold blood by militants of the Zimbabwe African People 's Union ( ZAPU ) led by Joshua Nkomo . Rhodesia responded with Operation Gatling , an attack on Nkomo 's guerilla bases in Zambia , in particular his military headquarters just outside Lusaka ; this raid became known as the Green Leader Raid . On the same day , two more bases in Zambia were attacked using air power and elite paratroops and helicopter-borne troops
Air Rhodesia Flight 825
Air Rhodesia Flight 825
Zambia