Myanmar op: How India crossed the line and completed mission in 45 minutes
Defence ministry issued the photo of the team which carried the operation in Myanmar.
NEW DELHI: Army sources said on Tuesday that at least 20 militants were killed in the operations across the border in Myanmar and conceded that retaliatory attacks were a possibility in the coming days. "We would keep up pressure on them," one senior officer said, indicating the possibility of more such cross-border operations.
READ ALSO: India warns terrorists after cross-border raid; Pakistan says 'we are not Myanmar'
And unlike what has been reported in the media, an Army source said: "There was no heli-drop. It was a one-night, ground operation. We couldn't have carried out a heli-drop because that would have alerted the militants." The SF troops were moved close to the border in advance by helicopters.
Inside story: Over 100 northeast militants may have been killed in Army's Myanmar operations
On Monday night, about 20-25 commandos trekked across the porous frontier into Myanmar. For some stretch of the approach to the camps, the commandos crawled to move in undetected.
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About 25 commandos of the 21 Para Special Forces (SF) battalion were involved in the 45-minute-long raids on two militant camps across the India-Myanmar border. An SF battalion usually comprises four teams, each of about 100 commandos. These are further divided into groups and then into squads.
READ ALSO: Cross-border swoopdown a message to Pakistan?
Myanmar hot pursuit signals massive change in India's strategy
According to sources, these highly-trained Special Forces personnel had been operating in Jorhat, Assam, and surrounding areas. "They are trained for such operations, so the turnaround wasn't very long," one source said. These operations are part of the ongoing Operation Hifazat in the Nagaland-Manipur-Arunachal Pradesh area, but this top secret cross-border raid had no specific name.
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Once specific intelligence inputs came on the two camps, showing that they were hou ing several NSCN(K) militants, and of other groups such as PLA (Peoples Liberation Army of Manipur), UNLF (United National Liberation Front) and the MNRF (Manipur Naga Revolutionary Front), the plan for the commando raid moved quickly . "Inputs clearly said that some militants in the camp were involved in the attack on our troops in Chandel last Thursday," one source said.
At a camp in the Ponyu area, the NSCN(K)'s 3rd brigade is based. And among its cadres were those who participated in operations against the Army. In Aungzeya area was the other camp which housed a mixed group of militants. Both camps had about 25 militants. "There was only a bit of resistance. We almost completely surprised them," a source said. "The militants didn't expect India to cross the border. That barrier has been breached."
READ ALSO: 'Modi's remarks in Bangladesh aimed at fanning hatred against Pakistan'
MHA says 50 dead, Army 20
READ ALSO: India warns terrorists after cross-border raid; Pakistan says 'we are not Myanmar'
And unlike what has been reported in the media, an Army source said: "There was no heli-drop. It was a one-night, ground operation. We couldn't have carried out a heli-drop because that would have alerted the militants." The SF troops were moved close to the border in advance by helicopters.
Inside story: Over 100 northeast militants may have been killed in Army's Myanmar operations
On Monday night, about 20-25 commandos trekked across the porous frontier into Myanmar. For some stretch of the approach to the camps, the commandos crawled to move in undetected.
About 25 commandos of the 21 Para Special Forces (SF) battalion were involved in the 45-minute-long raids on two militant camps across the India-Myanmar border. An SF battalion usually comprises four teams, each of about 100 commandos. These are further divided into groups and then into squads.
READ ALSO: Cross-border swoopdown a message to Pakistan?
Myanmar hot pursuit signals massive change in India's strategy
According to sources, these highly-trained Special Forces personnel had been operating in Jorhat, Assam, and surrounding areas. "They are trained for such operations, so the turnaround wasn't very long," one source said. These operations are part of the ongoing Operation Hifazat in the Nagaland-Manipur-Arunachal Pradesh area, but this top secret cross-border raid had no specific name.
Once specific intelligence inputs came on the two camps, showing that they were hou ing several NSCN(K) militants, and of other groups such as PLA (Peoples Liberation Army of Manipur), UNLF (United National Liberation Front) and the MNRF (Manipur Naga Revolutionary Front), the plan for the commando raid moved quickly . "Inputs clearly said that some militants in the camp were involved in the attack on our troops in Chandel last Thursday," one source said.
At a camp in the Ponyu area, the NSCN(K)'s 3rd brigade is based. And among its cadres were those who participated in operations against the Army. In Aungzeya area was the other camp which housed a mixed group of militants. Both camps had about 25 militants. "There was only a bit of resistance. We almost completely surprised them," a source said. "The militants didn't expect India to cross the border. That barrier has been breached."
READ ALSO: 'Modi's remarks in Bangladesh aimed at fanning hatred against Pakistan'
MHA says 50 dead, Army 20
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Myanmar-op-How-India-crossed-the-line-and-completed-mission-in-45-minutes/articleshow/47622691.cms
Profile of the 21 SF Army unit that raided Naga militants in Myanmar
Here are the profiles the 21 SF, the Indian Army unit that raided Naga militant camps deep inside Myanmar to inflict ‘significant casualties’ on those who killed 18 soldiers of the 6 Dogra on June 4.
Profile: The Indian Army unit that raided Naga militant camps deep inside Myanmar to inflict ‘significant casualties’ on those who killed 18 soldiers of the 6 Dogra on June 4.
Written by Man Aman Singh Chhina | Updated: June 11, 2015 10:18 am
Man Aman Singh Chhina profiles the 21 SF, the Indian Army unit that raided Naga militant camps deep inside Myanmar early on Tuesday to inflict ‘significant casualties’ on those who killed 18 soldiers of the 6 Dogra on June 4.
The regimen of a Special Forces operative is vastly different from that of a regular soldier — much tougher, and which does not end with the initial training at the Special Forces Training School in Himachal Pradesh.
For a battalion like 21 SF, training and adapting to new fighting techniques is an ongoing process at in-house modules as well as at the Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School, Vairangate, Mizoram.
Like all SF battalions, 21 SF have to be adept at combat freefall from fixed wing aircraft or choppers. They must practise various modes of entering and exiting hostile territory on foot, vehicles or by air, and undergo freefall training with special parachutes.
Heliborne operations, like the one carried out in Myanmar, are the mainstay of any Special Forces battalion — troops are inserted and picked up by helicopters. The forces practise for such operations with Army aviation helicopters or IAF choppers.
For actual operations, assault teams are used. These are smaller in size and better equipped than sub-units of regular infantry battalions, and they train much harder too. Forced marches with 60 kg loads is not uncommon for an SF soldier. The SF assault teams are trained for unconventional and asymmetric warfare, and for survival under extreme conditions.
http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/hunters-of-the-nscn-k/