"In Vietnam, what became known as
the Phoenix Program began in 1965 as a CIA-led operation. The purpose was to
neutralize the National Liberation Front, the political arm of the Viet Cong,
and was directed against civilian suspects not soldiers." "Phoenix operatives
were a mix of CIA, U.S. and Australian Special Forces and South Vietnamese
personnel and mercenaries. Until it ended in 1972, Phoenix "neutralized" some
80,000 NLF and Viet Cong of which about 30,000 were killed. In many cases,
assassination was too kind a term and torture and barbaric interrogation
practices were part of the standard operating procedure." (thanks Amir)
