Precision that only ‘practice’ could ensure

Army sources said the men involved in the operation were equipped with small arms, rocket-propelled grenades and explosives “sufficient to carry on the operation”.

The strike across the Myanmar border, security experts feel, must have come after drills. “Raiding a Myanmar camp is part of basic training for the particular unit,” an Army officer said, referring to 21 Paras, a Special Forces unit under Eastern Command. “While the planning and practice for the operation might have taken three or four days with the support of the political leadership, the unit remains combat ready 24×7.”

21 Paras is one of eight SF battalions; an additional battalion is being raised. Unlike infantry units that have companies, platoons and sections, an SF unit has four teams of 100 personnel each, with these teams subdivided into three “troops” of three squads each.

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Army sources said the men involved in the operation were equipped with small arms, rocket-propelled grenades, thermal imagers and explosives “sufficient to carry on the operation”.

This particular unit is understood to have carried a battle load about 25- 30 kg, and been equipped to carry out night operations. “What imparts lethality to the para commando group is the small size, which gives it agility,” the official said.

Army sources said the operation engaged the Army’s own helicopters to drop commandos “along the border”, though IAF Mi-17V5 helicopters were on standby.