PRU
Provincial Reconnaissance Unit
Created in 1966, the PRUs were small teams of tough paramilitaries used to seek out and eliminate the
Viet Cong Infrastructure as part of the
Phoenix Program. Under the control of the province chief but armed and paid by the CIA, they were successors to the short lived Counter Terror Teams (CTT) that had been formed in the early 60's to hunt down VC leaders. Often comprised of former VC (Hoi Canh) or men looking for revenge, PRU teams were frequently accused of atrocities. The Provincial Reconnaissance Units were integrated into the National Police in 1972.