Ban Naden raid
| Ban Naden raid | |
|---|---|
| Part of Laotian Civil War; Vietnam War | |
| Type | Covert rescue mission |
| Location | Ban Naden, northern Laos |
| Planned | Early December 1966 |
| Planned by | CIA |
| Commanded by | Sergeant Te |
| Objective | Free the prisoners of war held at Ban Naden |
| Date | January 9, 1967 0400 hours |
| Executed by | Team Cobra Supported by Air America, RLAF, and USAF |
| Outcome | 82 prisoners rescued |
| Casualties | 3 prison guards killed |
The Ban Naden raid of 9 January 1967 was the only successful rescue of prisoners of war during the Vietnam War, although no American prisoners were freed from the camp. The raid was improvised after local Central Intelligence Agency agents induced a Pathet Lao deserter to lead a rescue party back to the prison camp. At about 0400 hours on 9 January 1967, a raiding party of 10 Lao mercenaries led by Sergeant Te killed or dispersed the communist guard force, only to discover twice as many rescuees as they had counted upon. Some of the captives immediately returned to their local homes, while the others followed their rescuers to an impromptu pickup zone in the midst of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Hastily summoned Air America helicopters retrieved the raiders and the remaining prisoners, one of whom was Phisit Intharathat.
News of the raid was not released to the public or press. The operation is highly classified, and used as an instructional case study in CIA training.
In late 1966, the Central Intelligence Agency had human intelligence reports of three American prisoners of war being held in northern Laos. The names received matched American personnel records. However, the CIA seniors contemplated an attempt to bribe prison guards that spooked the communists; the prisoners were relocated. In early December 1966, a Pathet Lao defector was brought in to Thakhek, Laos by a CIA military intelligence team that was watching the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Under interrogation, the defector told of a prison camp in a cave near the Lao village of Ban Naden. It purportedly contained a captive Air America employee. In a year of picking up vague reports about this camp, this was the first detailed information. Debriefing elicited the information that there were about 40 guards at the camp, and about the same number of prisoners to be rescued.
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