Communist supporters being rounded up by the Chilean Army
The 1973 Chilean coup d'etat occurred on 11 September 1973 when the Chilean general Augusto Pinochet and the military rose up against the socialist government of Salvador Allende with assistance from the United States. The military bombed La Moneda, the presidential palace, and Allende promised to stay in the country rather than go into exile. After air raids and ground attacks, the Chilean Army attacked La Moneda, and Allende committed suicide with an AK-47 gifted to him by Fidel Castro. 60 people died as a direct result of the fighting, including 46 of Allende's guards. On 13 September, the military dissolved the Congress, and Chile would be ruled as a dictatorship by Allende until 1988. The coup led to the deaths and disappearances of around 3,000 people, most of them suspected communists or opponents of the Pinochet regime.