Viet Cong Take Outpost Guarding Valley

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30957, 13 January 1966, Page 11

Viet Cong Take Outpost Guarding Valley

(N.Z.P.A. Reuter —Copyright » DA NANG, January 12. Viet Cong guerrillas chased Government militia out of an outpost guarding an important river valley 75 miles south of Da Nang last night, reliable military sources said today.

The defenders withdrew to another outpost three miles away and from there beat off further Viet Cong attacks.

The two outposts guard a key section of the Tra Khuc river valley which the Viet Cong have coveted for transporting men and supplies from their mountain bases to units pressing the Quang Ngai city area. This was the fifth outpost abandoned by local militia in Quang Ngai province since mid-December. A grenade planted by Viet Cong terrorists outside an enlisted men’s club in Da Nang exploded last night, injuring three American soldiers. United Press International reported. In Paper Bag A military spokesman said the grenade was placed in a paper bag about 50 yards from the Take Ten Club. It exploded when one of the soldiers kicked it.

Only one of the servicemen was seriously injured. The other two were returned to duty after treatment. But the incident demonstrated the enemy’s ability to

make sneak attacks in areas of heavy troops concentrations in spite of rigid precautions.

A Government spokesman disclosed today that Vietnamese troops had killed 46 Viet Cong in a search and destroy operation which began yesterday in Bien Hoa province just south of Binh Dai.

i Australian and American troops killed 62 more guerrillas in sporadic clashes with Viet Cong at a major underground base north-west of Saigon, it was reported yesterday.

They also rounded up nearly 500 suspects and it is confirmed that 38 Viet Cong were captured in the biggest nonVietnamese operation of the war, a United States military spokesman announced tonight. Altogether, 84 guerrillas have been reported killed since thousands of Allied troops moved out into the

rice paddies and jungles of Hau Nghia province on Saturday. Allied losses in the action, in an area between 20 and 30 miles from Saigon, were reported to be light. Patrols today continued to unearth new networks of tunnels, bunkers and deep trenches in some places 30 feet deep. More than 100 houses in ione village had eight-foot deep I connecting tunnels with openings under floor-coverings and beds. In another area passages were dug on three separate levels. Tear gas and dogs are being used to flush tunnel networks before they are blown up. Australian troops reported finding 50 suspects in one tunnel. South Korean marines have ended “Operation Flying Tiger,” a thrust into the

rugged hills along the South China sea coast some 275 miles north-east of Saigon. They claimed to have killed 192 Viet Cong, captured 69. land detained 657 suspects but I suffered only light casualties. Earlier it was reported that United States troops along the Cambodian border had uncovered evidence that a North Vietnam anti-aircraft battalion had infiltrated to the South, United Press International reported. The military spokesman said that the force was equipped with 18 heavy guns capable of shooting down fighter aircraft, jet bombers and troop-carrying helicopters. He said the battery, known as the HVI3 anti-aircraft unit, was the first to be definitely identified as having moved down from North Vietnam via the Ho Chi Minh trail.