Pathet Lao
In late December 1967, CIA case officer Tony Poe directed three battalions of Royalist irregulars in a raid upon Luang Namtha. The surprise move chased Pathet Lao defenders from the town. The Royalists held the town for two days while thousands of local civilians were evacuated, some by air and some by foot. As Pathet Lao forces regrouped east of town, the Royalists withdrew to the CIA base at Nam Yu, leaving Luang Namtha to the Pathet Lao.