1977–1978
Convinced that Vietnam was plotting to dominate Indochina, the Khmer Rouge launched a series of cross-border raids into Vietnamese territory, massacring Vietnamese civilians. The worst atrocity was the Ba Chúc massacre of April 1978, where Khmer Rouge soldiers killed more than 3,000 Vietnamese civilians — raping, disemboweling, and decapitating villagers in documented acts of extreme brutality. Vietnam responded with counter-raids and ultimately decided that the Khmer Rouge regime had to be eliminated.
Commanders