Heavy Bombing In Cambodia

Press, Issue 32333, 26 June 1970, Page 13

Heavy Bombing In Cambodia

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) PHNOM PENH, June 25. Day-long bombing and napalm attacks by American Phantom jets have broken the Communist siege of Kompong Thom, a Cambodian provincial capital and highway crossroads 80 miles north of Phnom Penh, military spokesmen said today, United Press International reported.

Around the capital itself, they said, other air strikes and ground fighting had weakened the Communist position closest to Phnom Penh-Prek Tameak, 11 miles to the north-east. They said 10 Vietnamese Communists, including a North Vietnamese Army colonel, had been killed hy Cambodian troops while another 100 had been reported killed by air strikes.

Elsewhere in Cambodia, the spokesman said, there was but light and sporadic fighting today, including some continued Communist fire on Kompong Speu. The town, 25 miles south-west of Phnom Penh, was reported to have been surrounded by Communists early yesterday. A United States Air Force

A 37 Dragonfly jet fighterbomber crashed yesterday during a mission over Cambodia’s north-eastern Kratie province, some 100 miles west of the South Vietnamese border. The United States military command in Saigon said that the pilot of the plane was killed and reason for the crash was unknown.

The plane was the thirtyeighth American aircraft lost over Cambodia in the 56-day-old allied campaign to destroy Vietnamese Communist sanctuaries in the country. A United Press International photographer who flew into Kompong Thom with [ an airlift of Cambodian troops, reported that American jets had been )>ombing Communist positions round the provincial capital for the last three days and that two Phantoms had been kept in jthe air throughout yesterday in bombing, napalm and strafing raids. ! Cambodian military comImanders in the city told him

[today, he said, that the '.-.r [strikes yesterday had b "Ven the Communist offensiv mat had threatened not only Kompong Thom but it» highway links with all of northern Cambodia.

The highway south from Kompong Thom to Phnom Penh remained closed, however, because Communists held several positions along it Military spokesmen said the other five highways from Phnom Penh to other provincial capitals all were open today.

The spokesmen described 'Cambodian casualties as light [in the fighting round Prek [Tameak, where Government forces captured a 122 mm rocket. Government and airline officials as well as airport staff denied reports originating in Bangkok. Thailand, that the Phnom Penh airport had been attacked last night. They said that there was no shooting of any kind round the airport yesterday. Communist forces attacked | a United States air base in i South Vietnam last night, however, wounding five (Americans and causing some 'damage before being driven [off by helicopter gunships [from the base. :j The United States Com’jmand said that Communist casualties were unknown in the attack on the 164th combat aviation group’s base 115 miles south-west of Saigon. Elsewhere in South Vietnam, the command said. Communists fired 25 mortar rounds into a First Air Cavalry Division support base for the Cambodian operation. The barrage on the division's Third Brigade base, 62 miles north of Saigon at Quan Loi, caused some damage but no casualties, spokesmen said.

South Vietnamese troops fighting in the Mekong Delta, 148 miles south-west of Saigon, killed 33 Communists in fighting yesterday without suffering casualties, spokesmen said.

In the Fish-hook sector of Cambodia, South Vietnamese troops fought several skirmishes with Communist troops and seized a small cache of arms. There were no clashes reported involving American troops in Cambodia. Military sources said that 9000 Americans remained in Cambodia with five days remaining until the July 1 deadline when President Nixon I has promised to withdraw from Cambodia all United [States ground forces.