North Vietnamese Occupy Town

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31586, 25 January 1968, Page 11

North Vietnamese Occupy Town

(>.’.Z P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) KHE SANH BASE (South Vietnam), January 24. The North Vietnamese Army had occupied the South Vietnamese district town of Khe Sanh, a United States Marine commander said today.

Colonel David Lowndes, commander of the American Marine base of Khe Sanh, which lies three miles north of the town, said “the N.V.A. (North Vietnamese Army) is in the town now.”

Marines at the Khe Sanh base have been preparing for a possible big battle with the North Vietnamese and have evacuated more than 1000 civilians from the area in South Vietnam’s north-west coiner.

A United States military spokesman said in Saigon earlier today that a third American fighter bomber — an A-4 Skyhawk—had been shot down in fighting around the remote base yesterday. He said it was bit by North Vietnamese small arms fire while dive-bombing entrenched positions near the camp.

Although hundreds of North Vietnamese civilians have crowded into the marine base, most of the 10,000 people who live in this remote fertile valley dominated by towering mountains have decided to remain.

American pressure on the North Vietnamese movements has increased and bombers flew over the area

for the sixteenth time in four] days early today bombing an ammunition dump and troop! concentrations. An American spokesman [ claimed 61 North Vietnamese! were killed yesterday by air] and artillery strikes. United States and Government troops abandoned the town of Khe.Sanh, 18 miles below the North Vietnamese border and seven miles west of Laos yesterday becaus of the North Vietnamese buildup. ) “We’ve already taken fire i from there, including artillery,” Colonel Lowndes said today. “I’m sure they will set i

|up a lot of artillery in the town and hit us from there.” ] In spite of the evacuation, i United States special forces [at Lang Vei, five miles west [of the town of Khe Sanh, are | still manning the outpost, i preventing the North Vietnamese from sweeping directly out of Laos towards the Marine base. Near the United States Central Highlands base at Dak To—also vulnerable to large attacks—the Viet Cong pushed two American army companies back to their positions and pounded them with mortars and automatic weapons fire.