Cambodian Civil War

The Cambodian Civil War pitted the Cambodian government against the communist Khmer Rouge insurgency, escalating sharply after General Lon Nol's coup ousted Prince Norodom Sihanouk as head of state in March 1970 and aligned Cambodia openly with the United States against Vietnamese communist forces that had been using Cambodian border sanctuaries. The following years saw intense fighting compounded by a sustained American bombing campaign against communist positions inside Cambodia, conditions that historians widely credit with fueling the growth of the Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot. The war ended in April 1975 when Khmer Rouge forces captured the capital Phnom Penh, beginning the movement's subsequent and catastrophic rule over Cambodia.