First Group of Indian Military Wraps Up Maldives Helicopter Ops, Transfers Duties to Civilians

14:18, 12 March 2024

Swapna Nair

Indian military personnel, formerly deployed in the Maldives and managing helicopter operations, have departed. They handed over the helicopter tasks to an Indian civilian crew. The soldiers, previously in Addu city, have returned to India.

Sputnik

Indian military personnel previously stationed in the Maldives and overseeing helicopter operations have left the island nation. These service members have handed over the helicopter's operations to an Indian civilian crew, according to reports from Maldivian media on Monday.

Indian soldiers, previously based in the city of Addu, have returned to India after transferring the helicopter's responsibilities to a civilian crew, an official from the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) informed the press.

The media report on the withdrawal of the initial group of Indian military staff from the Maldives awaits confirmation from India's defence ministry.

Muizzu confidently stated, "There will be no Indian troops in the country come May 10. Not in uniform and not in civilian clothing. The Indian military will not be residing in this country in any form of clothing. I state this with confidence," as reported by local media last week.

Following a high-level meeting in New Delhi on February 2, the Maldivian foreign ministry announced that India would replace its military personnel operating three aviation platforms in the Maldives by May 10, with the first phase scheduled for completion by March 10.

The agreement involved India withdrawing its troops under the condition that civilians, equal in number to the military presence, would be brought in to operate the aircraft.

President Muizzu had initially requested India to withdraw nearly 90 military personnel from the Maldives, and India agreed to replace them with civilians, ensuring the continuation of operations for two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft dedicated to providing humanitarian and medical evacuation services.

Given the Maldives' strategic location in proximity to India, only 70 nautical miles from the island of Minicoy in Lakshadweep and 300 nautical miles from the mainland's western coast, along with its central position in commercial sea lanes through the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), the nation holds considerable strategic importance.

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