 On 14 January 1968, the situation in northeastern Laos continued to worsen, as an estimated four PAVN infantry battalions captured the Laotian government's stronghold at Nam Bac.Despite the growing threat from North Vietnamese forces, the US military was still not permitted to reinforce the installation on Phou Pha Thi Mountain due to political sensitivities.The defense of Lima Site 85 was assigned to two CIA paramilitary officers who led about 1,000 Hmong soldiers, with 200 men guarding the ridge line and the remaining 800 in the valley below.