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In December 1989, more than 20,000 US soldiers descended on the tiny Central American country of Panama.

The Americans sought to remove the country’s leader, General Manuel Noriega, who sought refuge from the invading forces with the Papal Ambassador.

Noriega was a dictator and had been indicted in Florida over drug trafficking.

In 2010, Neal Razzell spoke to Enrique Jelenszky, who assisted communications between the US troops and Noriega.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: A US soldier raises the barbed wire barricade to stop demonstrators from marching towards the Vatican Embassy, where Noriega is seeking asylum/ Credit:REUTERS/Corinne Dufka)