NDTV: Air Strikes or Special Forces: How the Myanmar Attack was Meticulously Planned
All India | Reported by Sudhi Ranjan Sen, Edited by Anindita Sanyal | Updated: June 11, 2015
This photo released to the media by the Indian Army shows the operations inside Myanmar
NEW DELHI: Action within 72 hours - that was what the political leadership had suggested to the Army to liquidate the militant camps across Myanmar. And one of the ways considered to achieve it was the use of Sukhoi and MIG 29 fighter jets, top sources told NDTV.
The first plan had to be dropped because of logistical problems. The second - due to the possibility of huge collateral damage, the sources said.
But action was imperative. Retaliatory strikes had to be taken against militants who ambushed an Army convoy last week killing 18 army men, the heaviest casualty the Army has seen in two decades.
Two militant camps were zeroed on, an officer said. The first one was in Onjha - a few km from Chashad on India-Myanmar border in Manipur - which housed a medley of militants. The more important one was in Ponyu in Myanmar - a few kilometres from the Nagaland border - which housed the militants of NSCN(K), that played a key role in the Manipur attack.
Cancelling a visit to Bangladesh with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval headed for Manipur. So did Army chief Dalbir Singh Suhag, who was to visit the UK.
The two men suggested a surgical attack by 21 Para (Special Forces), a top official in the security infrastructure told NDTV.
The 21 Para (Special Forces) which were selected to carry out the strike, are an elite corps. They train at night and are trained for combat firing, reflex shooting, underwater diving, handling of explosives, free falls, para jumping and deprivation exercises - which means doing all this without food and water for long stretches. Their main weapon -- Israeli-made Tavor Rifles.
The strike was planned for Monday but had to be postponed by a day to get clearance from the Prime Minister, sources said.
Meticulous planning several days; the operation lasted around 45 minutes.
A little after midnight on Tuesday, around 80 Special Forces troops were dropped a little ahead of the border by Dhruv helicopters, from where they stealthily made their way through the dense forests of Myanmar to the Ponyu and Ojia camps.
They smashed the camps - which were said to house nearly 150 militants. After the operation, they walked back to the pick-up point, from where they were evacuated by helicopters.
Myanmar op: How India crossed the line and completed mission in 45 minutes
TNN | Jun 11, 2015, 06.32 AM IST
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.
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.
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.
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."
MHA says 50 dead, Army 20
More than 24 hours after the Special Forces' raid on militant camps in Myanmar, there was no credible confirmation about the final toll. Some sources put the total number of dead at about 100. But army sources said their final count was 20.According to army, 11 militants suffered serious injuries while 15 others suffered light injuries Meanwhile, MHA sources said the toll was around 50 at least.
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