Days after the Indian troops left Maldives, the island nation's defence minister admitted that its military does not has the ability to fly the aircraft given by India.
Maldivian Defence Minister Ghassan Maumoon made the remarks during a media briefing in Male.
“Some members of the Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF) have started flying training but none were yet qualified to operate the aircraft provided by the Indian military,” Maumoon stated.
He added that the training involved passing various stages, and Maldivian personnel had not completed the course for various reasons.
“Therefore, there aren’t any people in our force at the moment who are licensed or fully operational to fly the two helicopters and Dornier aircraft,” the minister said.
The admission by Maumoon contrasts with claims made by key officials in new President Mohamed Muizzu's government, who had asserted that the MNDF had competent pilots.
Indian personnel has left the Maldives on Friday, the deadline set in February as part of an agreement between the two nations. Muizzu made expelling Indian forces a central pledged in his 2023 election campaign.