Foreign Operations & Deployments

cholaraja · Post by **cholaraja** » 10 Nov 2008 05:03

Although not officially reported don't forget the ones in SL who are doing a valient service. They have a high causualty rate than some of the other operations!

Surya · Post by **Surya** » 10 Nov 2008 05:20

Huh??
SL??

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 10 Nov 2008 10:30

sierra leone ?
do we still have folks stationed there ? don't think so.

vivek_ahuja · Post by **vivek_ahuja** » 10 Nov 2008 10:39

Rahul M wrote:sierra leone ?
do we still have folks stationed there ? don't think so.

We pulled out from there IIRC.

Frankly I am of the opinion that that decision was a good one too.

-Vivek

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 10 Nov 2008 19:46

today, the rebels have withdrawn any guarantees of safety for Indian troops if the UN deploys Indian Mi35's to attack rebel armour - this is being seen as a major escalation and a precursor to a rebel offensive

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 10 Nov 2008 21:22

http://www.monuc.org/news.aspx?newsID=18856

'Concerned' India sends Gurkha troops to DR Congo
AFP
06 nov. 08 - 15.19h

NEW DELHI, Nov 6, 2008 - India is sending Gurkha troops to join a UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo where rebel forces have tightened their grip on a key town, officials said Thursday.

The announcement came after New Delhi said it was "very concerned" over the safety of some 8,000 Indian troops in the UN mission in the DR Congo (MONUC) as continued clashes between rebels and government forces threatened a fragile ceasefire.

An Indian army spokesman told AFP that an entire battalion of 1,200 Gurkha soldiers would be sent to join MONUC "within the month."

"The Gurkhas would replace our sixth light infantry battalion in the DRC and the deployment would be completed within the month," the spokesman said in New Delhi.
The ministry said the Gurkhas had been specially trained.

"Keeping in view the volatile conditions in Congo, the unit has carried out extensive training and mission sensitization in Delhi for the past few months in all aspects of UN operations," it said in a statement.

Indian military sources said they were having increasing difficulties in supplying troops in the field with ammunition and rations because of the deteriorating situation.
MONUC comprises around 17,000 troops drawn from eight nations with India and Pakistan the largest contributors.

Last week, Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony said he was concerned over the safety of his troops in DR Congo, where three soldiers and an officer were injured in October after coming under rebel rocket attack.

MONUC troops are under orders to open fire on rebel forces if they advance on the strategic city of Goma in the country's east.

Rebels loyal to renegade general Laurent Nkunda have been positioned outside Goma since declaring a ceasefire a week ago after routing government forces in an offensive that has seen them take several towns in Nord-Kivu.

MONUC has only a few thousand troops in Nord-Kivu

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 10 Nov 2008 22:33

today's news summary... UN peace keeping troops are getting 'pinned down' between the two factions and stretched very thin. it seems that angolan troops are backing the gov't forces and rwandan troops are backing some of the rebels. its getting murkier and drawing in more combatants. also other african nations are thinking of sending in 'peace making troops' - which will just complicate things on the ground. although the IA contingent is large, it lacks serious firepower - only mortars, BMP canons, and 1 arty unit plus the Mi-35's. things are going to get very ugly very quickly whilst we are all busy watching obamamania

the poor people of Congo are going from the frying pan into the fire

Nayak · Post by **Nayak** » 26 Nov 2008 11:46

No more Indian troops please, Congo tells UN chief
26 Nov 2008, 1052 hrs IST, AFP

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Worl ... 758894.cms

Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
KINSHASA: The Congolese government has written to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asking him not to send any more Indian troops to reinforce its peacekeeping mission, according to a letter read to the news agency.

India is not mentioned by name, but diplomatic sources told the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo is without doubt referring to the Indian contingent of MONUC, the UN peacekeeping mission.

"In view of the numerous abuses of power carried out by certain troops within MONUC, the (Congolese) people would not understand if soldiers from the same country would be used to boost numbers within MONUC," says the letter, which was read to news agency by diplomatic sources.

Indian peacekeepers have been accused of sexual abuse and MONUC admitted in August that some Indian troops could have been involved.

The letter could prove a major diplomatic embarrassment to the UN. Some 90% of the peacekeepers patrolling the troubled Nord-Kivu region are from India and New Delhi is also providing assault helicopters for the mission.

The UN Security Council voted last Thursday to send 3,000 reinforcements to the country. Which countries will supply the extra troops and when is still to be undecided.

The UN has been criticised for failing to protect the estimated 250,000 displaced people by both the rebels and government forces.

Congolese Foreign Minister Alexis Tambwe Muamba handed the letter addressed to Ban to the deputy head of the UN mission Leilaq Zeerougi on Saturday, the same diplomatic sources said.

MONUC spokesman Madnodje Mounoubai confirmed that a letter from the Congolese foreign minister had been received Saturday, but declined to give details on its contents.

The Congolese government also confirmed Muamba had sent a letter to Zerrougui on Saturday, but gave no further comment.

MONUC has been operating in Congo since 2001. It is one of the largest UN missions worldwide with 17,000 peacekeepers currently deployed there.

vavinash · Post by **vavinash** » 26 Nov 2008 12:35

Its a good excuse to get our troops out of congo. The civil war will soon erupt and UN is in no position to do anything. Why should our troops be caught in cross fire.

nsa_tanay · Post by **nsa_tanay** » 02 Dec 2008 16:21

Nayak wrote:
No more Indian troops please, Congo tells UN chief
26 Nov 2008, 1052 hrs IST, AFP

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Worl ... 758894.cms

Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
KINSHASA: The Congolese government has written to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asking him not to send any more Indian troops to reinforce its peacekeeping mission, according to a letter read to the news agency.

India is not mentioned by name, but diplomatic sources told the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo is without doubt referring to the Indian contingent of MONUC, the UN peacekeeping mission.

"In view of the numerous abuses of power carried out by certain troops within MONUC, the (Congolese) people would not understand if soldiers from the same country would be used to boost numbers within MONUC," says the letter, which was read to news agency by diplomatic sources.

Indian peacekeepers have been accused of sexual abuse and MONUC admitted in August that some Indian troops could have been involved.

The letter could prove a major diplomatic embarrassment to the UN. Some 90% of the peacekeepers patrolling the troubled Nord-Kivu region are from India and New Delhi is also providing assault helicopters for the mission.

The UN Security Council voted last Thursday to send 3,000 reinforcements to the country. Which countries will supply the extra troops and when is still to be undecided.

The UN has been criticised for failing to protect the estimated 250,000 displaced people by both the rebels and government forces.

Congolese Foreign Minister Alexis Tambwe Muamba handed the letter addressed to Ban to the deputy head of the UN mission Leilaq Zeerougi on Saturday, the same diplomatic sources said.

MONUC spokesman Madnodje Mounoubai confirmed that a letter from the Congolese foreign minister had been received Saturday, but declined to give details on its contents.

The Congolese government also confirmed Muamba had sent a letter to Zerrougui on Saturday, but gave no further comment.

MONUC has been operating in Congo since 2001. It is one of the largest UN missions worldwide with 17,000 peacekeepers currently deployed there.

" Indian peacekeepers have been accused of sexual abuse and MONUC admitted in August that some Indian troops could have been involved. " --> Punish the individuals perpetrators. We can not let the world, point finger to our reputation. Goodwill of the nation must not be defamed because of a few individual wrong doers.

kumar_k · Post by **kumar_k** » 02 Dec 2008 19:09

All this so embarrassing....

The wrong-doers must be punished duely,
so that the right message goes across.

JAI HIND.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Signature deleted by popular request.

No offence meant.

We appreciate your sentiments.

RayC

HariC · Post by **HariC** » 02 Dec 2008 23:50

kumar_k wrote:All this so embarrassing....
The wrong-doers must be punished duely,
so that the right message goes across.

JAI HIND.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Long Live the Martyrs.

Hemant Karkare, Maj. Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Gajendra Singh, Ashok Kamte, Vijay Salaskar, Shashank Shinde, Praksh P. More, Bapusaheb Durugade, Tukaram G. Omble, Balasaheb Bhosale, Arun Chitte, Jaywant Patil, Yogesh Patil, Ambadas Pawar, M. C. Chowdhary, Mukesh B. Jadhav.

Dude , i appreciate your signature and the thought behind it but BR has a habit of not having signatures. it is distracting and hard on the eyes. I rarely read your post , isntead get distracted by the sig. can you stop putting it in your post? imagine if all members start putting their sigs - it will be 70% noise overall.

sam_kamath · Post by **sam_kamath** » 02 Dec 2008 23:58

Cross Posting from the Indian Aviation thread...
Does any one here know when the Falcons are designated for arrival.

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 14 Dec 2008 10:50

Looks like we may station MR planes in Dijbouti:

“INS Mysore, which replaced stealth frigate INS Tabar early December, may head for Djibouti on the horn of Africa. Our plan to base a maritime reconnaissance aircraft like a Dornier at Djibouti (which has a French military base) is also underway,” he added.

Per wikpedia: "France's 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade shares Camp Lemonier with the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) of the United States Central Command, which arrived in 2002. "

SumitG wrote:Some more details on the encounter, including firing by INS Mysore.

http://richaredifferent.wordpress.com/2 ... ed_content

K Mehta · Post by **K Mehta** » 14 Dec 2008 13:37

HariC wrote:
kumar_k wrote: Long Live the Martyrs.

Hemant Karkare, Maj. Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Gajendra Singh, Ashok Kamte, Vijay Salaskar, Shashank Shinde, Praksh P. More, Bapusaheb Durugade, Tukaram G. Omble, Balasaheb Bhosale, Arun Chitte, Jaywant Patil, Yogesh Patil, Ambadas Pawar, M. C. Chowdhary, Mukesh B. Jadhav.
Dude , i appreciate your signature and the thought behind it but BR has a habit of not having signatures. it is distracting and hard on the eyes. I rarely read your post , isntead get distracted by the sig. can you stop putting it in your post? imagine if all members start putting their sigs - it will be 70% noise overall.

I second that, there has to be more substance in the post than in lines in the signature.
please remove that signature.

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 10 Mar 2009 05:50

UN denies cancellation of peace contingent from India in Congo

http://www.ptinews.com/pti\ptisite.nsf/ ... enDocument

United Nations, Mar 9 (PTI) The United Nations today denied that it has asked India not to send replacement for one of its peacekeeping contingents in Congo because of alleged sexual misconduct by some Indian security personnel.

Replying to a question on reports that world body has asked India not to send replacement, a UN spokesperson said the United Nations has not requested India the cancellation of a new deployment to Congo.

The Indian Air Force contingent with the peacekeeping operations, known by its French Acronym MONUC, is working at full strength, she said.

The United Nations greatly appreciates India's continued participation in peacekeeping operations, she added.

dorai · Post by **dorai** » 10 Mar 2009 07:19

Good news JaiS. Anything else would have gone against common sense.

Dmurphy · Post by **Dmurphy** » 10 Mar 2009 20:27

Post edited

Russians too close for comfort for Belgian F-16s

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 31 May 2009 06:57

Vice President Releases the Book” For the Honour of India : a History of Indian Peacekeeping”

Following is the text of address by the Vice President of India Shri M. Hamid Ansari at the Book Release Function of the book titled “For the Honour of India : A History of Indian Peace Keeping” written by Lt. Gen. Satish Nambiar here today :

JaiS · Post by **JaiS** » 11 Jun 2009 05:55

Army to send personnel to Congo on UN mission

atma · Post by **atma** » 11 Jun 2009 09:15

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/00 ... 101911.htm

Here we go ... proud to send troops to The Congo

I do not know if any one on this forum is a fan of John le' carre, the eternal espionage novelist. His second last book "The mission song" chronicles what is ailing The Congo, for ages, especially the mineral rich Eastern Congo. As in most of his other recent books, including "The constant gardner", and "The most wanted man", his books though shrouded in fiction give a hefty dose of non fiction, that can be collobrated. it makes good entertaining reading and gives a sweeping account of the history and current affairs.

I sometimes wonder after reading that book a couple of years ago, if we are doing any service to the the people of Kivu, in particular and the eastern Congo in general vs. a variety of other ethnic and western economic interests in the area, by sending our troops.

The Congo is by far one of the most tragic stories of European Colonialism. I feel sorry that we have to under UN guise/bribe put our troops there, and gloat about it.

I know it brings our forces experience, and more importantly hard UN cash. But is it worth it ?

I am sorry if I have used some harsh words here. I am a product of an Indian diaspora deeply entrenched in Africa for generations, and subsequently uprooted. My Grandfather was the first non-white minister in the Kenyan colonial Government. I have a picture of him welcoming VP Radhakrishnan to Nairobi, in my living room. I have a picture of him showing the British a middle finger...refusing to accept Knighthood in return for preventing Kenyan Independence. My Mother gave all her gold away for the Gold bonds to GOI after the 1962 war with the pandas.

I believe GOI has to have a better Africa strategy , certainly better than Porkis and Banglas seeking UN cash. Africa it seems is now the last frontier.

K Mehta · Post by **K Mehta** » 26 Jun 2009 12:00

x-posting from Naval thread
Indian Navy Task Group arrives at Portsmouth for Exercise Konkan 09June 18th, 2009

The Indian Navy Task Group, led by the 6,700 ton destroyer INS Delhi arrived in Portsmouth on Wednesday 17 June 2009, to take part in exercise Konkan with the Royal Navy.
Konkan 09 is the first to be conducted in UK waters and will be focused on Portsmouth with the sea phase taking place in the south coast exercise areas and the south west approaches.
The visiting Indian task group is under the command of Admiral Surinder Pal Singh Cheema, the Flag Officer Commanding Indian Western Fleet, based in Mumbai. Joining the INS Delhi in Portsmouth will be the frigates INS Beas and Brahmaputra and the tanker INS Aditya.

UK participants, commanded by Commodore Simon Ancona, include the frigates HMS Westminster and HMS Northumberland, the nuclear powered submarine HMS Trafalgar, the auxiliaries RFA Mounts Bay and RFA Fort Rosalie and an RAF Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft.

Jamal K. Malik · Post by **Jamal K. Malik** » 03 Jul 2009 21:00

Release of coffee table book on UN Mission by Chief of the Air Staff
http://www.pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=49633

nrshah · Post by **nrshah** » 08 Jul 2009 19:36

Indian troops fly to France for National Day parade

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NEWS/news ... wsid=10961

Pardon me if posted elsewhere, but

Do we have more serious relations with France than we know?

-Nitin

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 29 Sep 2009 23:24

http://www.colonelanilshorey.com/the_na ... omalia.htm

I am reminded of the days, more than a decade ago, when Indian Naval ships came to the rescue of the Indian Brigade during its deinduction from Somalia. Prior to that, a naval ship provided yeoman service towards the UN cause in war-torn Somalia on rotation basis.

As our time came to return to India after nearly 15 months, the Somali clans grew more and more belligerent throughout the mission area including Kismayu, the second largest coastal town of the country. It is located 240 km south-west of the largest town and capital-Mogadishu. The Indian battalion, 1 Bihar, was deployed there.

As the days for the final deinduction of the Indian Brigade drew nearer, units in the hinterland, to include the Brigade Headquarters, chalked out plans to hand over respective charge to the local Somali authorities. The plan was put into execution. While everything went about smoothly in the hinterland, the battalion at Kismayu was not so fortunate.

Intelligence reports received by the battalion at Kismayu indicated that some of the Somali clan members coerced 1 Bihar to leave all its weapons and equipment behind. In case this was not agreed to, the battalion would be wrenched by force. With this fresh input, our hopes for a smooth and early exit from Somalia grew dim.

It was a moment of pride, elation and relief to see their own, impressive and Indian made naval ships coming to assist them during the crucial deinduction.

What the Indian Brigade needed was a naval task force, but that seemed elusive since many Western countries were more inclined to 'wait and watch' the Somali situation rather than put their fleet at sea for the convenience of the Third World contingents. However, towards the end of November 1994, the Indian government decided to send Naval force to Somalia. Accordingly, on December 6, an Indian Naval task force reached the shores of Somalia off Kismayu. It comprised the Indian frigates INS Ganga and Godavari along wih the logistics support ship INS Shakti.

At the crack of dawn on December 6, hundreds of local residents, mainly gun-wielding youth, women and children thronged the silvery shores of Kismayu, many waving out to the ships shouting Hindiya, Hindiyan sheeps! ('Indian, Indian ships'.) As for the officers and men of the Indian Brigade, particularly those of 1 Bihar and an independent squadron of 7 Cavalry (comprising T-72 tanks) based at Kismayu, it was a moment of pride, elation and relief to see their own, impressive and Indian made naval ships, coming to assist them during the crucial deinduction.

Brig Mono Bhagat, Commander of the Indian Brigade, along with a few Brigade staff officers, flew to Kismayu from Mogadishu. We were airlifted by Indian Naval Sea King helicopters to INS Ganga. Once onboard, we called on the Task Force Commander, Admiral Ganesh and other senior Indian naval staff and commanding officers. This was followed by a coordination conference on high seas where modalities covering numerous operational aspects and support to be provided by the task force were discussed.

Accordingly, deinduction of troops from Kismayu started on the following day. The process went about peacefully and the crucial transition of Indian-held UN assets (excluding Indian weapons and equipment) between 1 Bihar and local Somalis was executed at the Kismayu airport and seaport.
To ensure the safety of Indian troops, the Indian naval fleet provided various types of intimate support such as aerial logistics and fire support from its integral helicopters, ship-to-shore standby fire-support and signal communications.

Around this time reports came in about militant groups, belonging to three different clans, planning to force their way towards the seaport from three different directions. Gunshots could be clearly heard from the direction of Kismayu town. We soon learnt through intercepted wireless communication that Somali clan members were looting the warehouse holding food grain, belonging to an NGO, at gunpoint.

At the Kismayu seaport there was no major cause for worry as earmarked Indian troops, supported by tanks of 7 Cavalry squadron, were already deployed at vantage positions. Effective roadblocks had also been set up to ensure a smooth deinduction of Indian troops without external interference. As the deinduction progressed, the tanks and bulk of Indian troops at various check-points were to fall back to the seaport for boarding various earmarked ships, leaving behind an effective rear guard of 40 personnel of 1 Bihar. Regular armed sorties of Indian Brigade's Chetak and Indian Naval Sea King helicopters also deterred the belligerent Somali armed factions from coming closer to the seaport. Simultaneously, the Indian naval ships had their guns and missiles trained onto different land objectives and their electronic warfare gadgets on board succeeded in not only jamming militant radio frequencies but also selectively monitored their command and control communication channels which provided invaluable information to the Indian forces.

However, the most striking aspect and the 'grand finale' of the entire Kismayu operation was the unique rear guard action performed jointly by the troops of 1 Bihar and the Indian naval task force. After ensuring that no interference took place by Somali clan members during deinduction, the 40-odd troops of 1 Bihar, forming the rear guard, converged at the strategic Hamburger Hill. This hill overlooked the Kismayu harbour from the north and also the main approach leading to it from Kismayu town. From here, they were lifted by Indian Naval Sea King helicopters and ferried into different ships of the task force.

This final tactical action was one of the most bold and dramatic ones ever to have been executed by Indian Navy. It was also the most difficult phase of deinduction carried out by the Indian Brigade in Somalia involving meticulous planning, coordination and execution.

...we succeeded in sending signals across Somalia and throughout the world that the Indians meant business in preserving the property and integrity of its brigade in Somalia during its deinduction.

Strategically, this particular operation was successful on two other counts. Firstly, we succeeded in sending signals across Somalia and throughout the world that the Indians meant business in preserving the property and integrity of its brigade in Somalia during its deinduction.

Secondly, it proved that India was capable of dealing with such contingencies. This was also the first instance in the history of the United Nations peacekeeping that a naval task force from any Third World country had been deployed for such a major task. Earlier this had always been the prerogative of the US or some of the Western nations.

On the night of December 11/12, the task force weighted anchor at Kismayu and arrived at Mogadishu by the afternoon from where it supported the deinduction of the bulk of Indian troops. By December 23, the final deinduction by air and sea became effective.

Till the time Indian ships came on the scene, the local residents were quite used to seeing the US and massive European naval ships plying off the shores of Somalia. This was the first time that they had seen such large battleships from a Third World country. They were further surprised to learn that the Indian battleships were made in India. The Indian naval ships in Somalia boosted India's image overseas considerably. As for the Indian Brigade in Somalia, the olive greens would remain truly indebted to their brethren in whites!

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 29 Sep 2009 23:26

The forgotten IAF deployment in Ceylon ... 1971:
http://vayu-sena.indianmilitaryhistory. ... ylon.shtml

Any more info on it?

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 19 Oct 2009 22:17

Archiving an old news;

http://chhindits.blogspot.com/2009/06/i ... congo.html

On June 20, 2009, some 285 IAF air warriors swapped their regular grey ‘side caps’ with the distinct ‘blue beret’ worn by UN peacekeepers worldwide, to form part of the Indian UN Peace Keeping Mission that left for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

...

Air Officer-in-Charge Maintenance (AOM), Air Marshal KM Rama Sundara flagged-off the Indian Aviation Contingent-II, from Palam that day. The contingent is led by Group Captain Manavendra Singh.

The contingent will operate six Mi-17 utility helicopters and four Mi-35 attack helicopters from Bukavu, in eastern DRC. Currently the IAF operates two aviation contingents from DRC, the other being stationed at Goma.

Mi-17s would be primarily used for troop insertion and extraction, casualty evacuation, logistic supply, search and rescue, reconnaissance and observation. The primary role for the Mi-35 helicopter, equipped with night targeting system, would be offensive armed support as escort, and independent offensive operations.

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 20 Oct 2009 00:04

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 132308.cms

India sending Dornier aircraft to Maldives for surveillance mission
TNN 17 October 2009, 01:21am IST

NEW DELHI: As part of the overall strategy to prevent China from further spreading its influence in the Indian Ocean

Region (IOR), India is
sending a Dornier aircraft to Maldives to help the country in maritime surveillance.

Defence ministry sources said an Indian Navy Dornier would begin its maritime reconnaissance missions from Male over the weekend. This comes in the backdrop of defence minister A K Antony's recent visit to Maldives, where he promised measures to bolster defence cooperation with Maldives.

Under the new plan, India will apparently help Maldives set up a network of ground radars in all its 26 atolls and link them with the Indian military surveillance systems.

Moreover, amid fears in Male that one of its island resorts could be taken over by terrorists, India will also provide Maldives with a couple of helicopters, as also help patrol its territorial waters with both warships and reconnaissance aircraft.

India has taken several steps to build bridges with IOR nations, which range from joint patrols with Indonesian and Sri Lankan navies and exercises with Singapore and Oman to providing seaward security for international summits in Mozambique.

Maldives, in particular, constitutes an important part of this strategy since China is making persistent moves in the region as part of its military diplomacy.

India, on its part, has always been willing to help Maldives in times of crisis. Indian paratroopers and naval warships, for instance, were rushed to Maldives in November 1988 by the Rajiv Gandhi government under Operation Cactus to thwart the coup attempt against the Abdul Gayoom government.

Similarly, India had deployed two ships and four aircraft to Maldives after the killer tsunami struck in end-2004. "In April 2006, India gifted a fast attack craft INS Tillanchang to Maldives as a goodwill gesture. Apart from training, hydrographic and military assistance, our ships visit the country regularly,'' said an officer

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 29 Oct 2009 09:25

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/arti ... page-1.cms

No military involvement in Afghanistan: Antony
TNN 29 October 2009, 04:38am IST

NEW DELHI: Indian and American armed forces may be conducting a flurry of joint war games to build `interoperability' in tune with their growing strategic ties but India remains firm that there is no question of it joining the US-led military operations either in Afghanistan or Iraq.

"I am saying categorically that there is no question of Indian military involvement in Afghanistan. I do not foresee such a situation, not now or in the future," defence minister A K Antony said on Wednesday.

India is helping Afghanistan only with humanitarian aid, reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts, and it will be limited to that, he added.

This comes in the backdrop of India holding its largest-ever ground combat exercise with US at Babina, near Jhansi, earlier this month. The 15-day exercise, interestingly, was codenamed `Yudh Abhyas' (preparation for war) and revolved around the use of mechanised infantry, with its combat vehicles, for counter-insurgency/counter-terrorism in semi-urban terrain.

During the exercise, on being asked whether US would like to have Indian troops helping it in Afghanistan, a top American military commander had said his troops would be comfortable operating with their Indian counterparts anywhere and anytime in the future.

The US, anxious to grab a major chunk of the lucrative Indian arms market, had undertaken `live-fire ops' of its high-tech weaponry like the Stryker infantry armoured vehicles and Javelin anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) during the wargames.

Incidentally, it was the largest overseas deployment of the Strykers after Iraq and Afghanistan, with the US Army coming with 17 of the eight-wheeled armoured combat vehicles for the war games.

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 01 Nov 2009 13:40

http://sify.com/news/Joint-mechanism-su ... ajafe.html

.....

The police and intelligence chiefs of the northeastern states and West Bengal along with senior officials of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Assam Rifles, Army and Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) held a two-day meeting here, ending Saturday.

....

'The results of Operation All Clear against some militant outfits in the region including that of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) have turned out to be counter-productive as these groups have remained in action after the military offensive,' Ravi observed.

....

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 13 Nov 2009 23:50

IA BMP-2s in Congo

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 18 Nov 2009 20:37

IAF's 6th Contingent to MONUC:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_o_no4M2xEPY/S ... 753451.JPG

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_o_no4M2xEPY/S ... 752112.JPG

This is probably the longest ever IAF mission in UN

Picklu · Post by **Picklu** » 18 Nov 2009 22:56

Aditya G wrote:IA BMP-2s in Congo

Is that a pulser?

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 18 Nov 2009 23:05

no, but it does look like one of ubiquitous desi bikes,like those from the TVS stable. the guys over at X-bhp will be able to give a better answer.

Shameek · Post by **Shameek** » 19 Nov 2009 00:44

Rahul M wrote:no, but it does look like one of ubiquitous desi bikes,like those from the TVS stable. the guys over at X-bhp will be able to give a better answer.

I'm pretty sure thats the TVS Victor.

Sridhar K · Post by **Sridhar K** » 19 Nov 2009 12:34

Thats the Victor GLX 125cc, no longer in production (replaced by TVS Flame)

Picklu · Post by **Picklu** » 19 Nov 2009 22:03

Thanks Guys, good to see something other than Indian Peacekeepers are providing good service to the common people.

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 21 Nov 2009 01:13

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/de ... d=blogDest

I have found myself a new assignment: I think I should go, in person, to Equator Village on the island of Gan, a 5km long by 3km wide patch of coconut palms and white beaches in the Indian Ocean island state of Maldives and check out the following information: India is installing radars there.

Few tourists know, and even fewer brochures reveal, that the Equator Village resort was the Royal Air Force's officers' quarters until 1976. Gan is the southernmost of the Maldives islands, just south of the equator, and it was here that Britain set up a secret naval base in 1941, building airstrips and vast fuel tanks to support its WWII fleet in the Indian Ocean.

“Asia Sentinel” an independent website, reports that now India is preparing to reopen the base to surveillance aircraft, helicopters, and possibly ships, to monitor Chinese vessels in the Indian Ocean. Under a deal signed in August, India is also installing radar across the Maldives, linked to its coastal command.

The website writes that in private both the Maldives and India admit the move is a direct response to China’s construction of a giant port at Hambantota in nearby Sri Lanka.

.....

nithish · Post by **nithish** » 21 Nov 2009 02:23

UN Envoy urges Liberian girls and women to draw inspiration from Indian female peacekeepers and join law enforcement agencies to serve the nation

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 28 Nov 2009 23:19

Indian Army T-72s in Somalia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:UN_fo ... malia.JPEG

IIRC our only operations involving tanks post-1971 are:

- T-72s in Sri Lanka as part of IPKF with extensive action in support on infantry.
- Vijaynta used in Op Bluestar
- T-72s in Somalia (but did they ever venture beyond the compund?)