RAID MADE ON KHE SANH

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32563, 24 March 1971, Page 21

RAID MADE ON KHE SANH

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) SAIGON, March 23. North Vietnamese commandos broke into the United States Khe Sanh base early on Tuesday, blew up several American helicopters backing the Laos operation and killed at least one G. 1., military spokesmen reported.

The attack on Khe Sanh began with a 200-round artillery barrage, spokesmen said. Then 40 commandos crept inside the base hurling satchel charge bombs under the United States helicopters. At least one American was killed and several others were wounded and the “damage involved some U.S. helicopters,” the spokesmen reported. They said that over-all casualties and damage were light. Field reports said that fewer than a dozen Americans were killed and wounded and several helicopters were destroyed by both the artil-

lery barrage and satchel charges. Spokesmen refused to give exact casualty figures on security grounds. Twenty of the North Vietnamese who broke into Khe Sanh were killed by American guards and one was captured, it was announced.

The ground attack by the Communists came after eight consecutive days of artillery and rocket barrages against the former United States Marine base, located in South Vietnam near the Laotian border and which now serves as the main support base for the Laos operation.