SAIGON: A 29,000-man allied task force invaded South Viet-Nam’s north-western corner bordering Laos and reoccupied the abandoned marine base at Khe Sanh and other outposts from the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) as far as the A Shau Valley, the US Military Command announced today [Feb 4].

It was also disclosed that 12,500 South Viet-Namese troops had pushed across the Cambodian border in the two new operations, one in the Parrot’s Beak sector and other in the lower Fishhook Region where last spring’s allied invasion was centred.

US military spokesman said the joint U.S.-South Viet-Namese operation in the north-western quarters of South Viet-Nam covered a 1000-square mile area of rugged terrain across two provinces. There had been widespread speculation earlier that South Viet-Namese troops had crossed the frontier to attack the so-called Ho Chi Minh supply trail North Viet-Namese use to funnel supplies through Laos to their troops in South Viet-Nam.

These reports had in turn, aroused fears in the United States of a heavier American involvement in the Indo-China fighting. Today’s announcement revealed that about 9,000 American troops and just over 20,000 South Viet-Namese are involved in the operation — the biggest inside the borders of South Viet-Nam since the allies counter-attacked the Viet-Cong in May 1968.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2021