The small village of An Nhon, 10 kilometres (6 miles) northeast of the South Vietnamese capital, Saigon, was the target of a surprise Communist attack early Thursday morning (20 February).

A textile factory and local government offices were extensively damaged during the raid. More than 60 bales of material -- costing about 450 U.S. dollars (187.5 pounds sterling) each -- were destroyed in the fire following the attack.

The raid was one of a series of five on Government targets close to the capital. Communist commandos knocked out three bridges and killed fire soldiers. In An Nhon, four defenders died during the attack, and five were wounded.

Last week, Communist forces attacked several Government posts south of Saigon. The action was part of intensified fighting throughout South Vietnam after a sharp drop in activity over the Lunar New Year holiday.