Indian troops keep commitment with UN

The commitment dates back to 1953-54 when 6,000 infantry soldiers were sent to Korea under Lt Gen K S Thimmaya and a battalion continues to be deployed in Lebanon. The casualties have not been slight, be it Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria, who was posthumously awarded the Paramveer Chakra while defending Congo, or Naik Sunil Kumar, who fell fighting in Mozambique. As many as 39 men were killed defending Congo8217;s territorial integrity in 1960-64 and 90 service personnel havelost their lives defending the mandate of the UN.

quot;Today India has a large bank of officers and men who have participated in different UN peace-keeping missions abroad. And this bank is constantly devising methods, charting out new courses for officers and men 8212; from operations level at execution stage for young officer to commander level at planning stage for senior officers,quot; Major General Arjun Ray, in change of planning UN mission at the Army Training Command ARTRAC said.

India8217;s first foray in the international peace-keeping scenario was in 1950 when a para medical unit was sent to Korea for the facilitation of the withdrawal of sick and wounded soldiers. After the cease fire, India became the chairman of the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission. Under the leadership of Lt. Gen Thimayya, Major General SPP Thorat took charge as the commander of the custodian force and took custody of 22,000 prisoners.

Six years later, the Indian Army was called in to oversee the peace process in Middle Eastafter the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Egypt. India was then called upon to be the Chairman of the International Control Commission and implement the cease-fire agreement between Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and France.

The ability of the Indian Army to sustain long-term commitments has made the Army a favourite for UN peace-keeping operations. India has also provided the brains to command UN armies on several occasions. Apart from General Thimmaya, Lt. Gen. P S Gyani and Lt. Gen Dewan Prem Chand were force commanders in Yemen, Iran-Iraq border and Namibia. Army doctors, engineers and signals officers have participated in operations the world over. Observers oversaw peace operations in Central America, El Salvador and Liberia.

However, it was in Somalia that the commitment was put to test. quot;This was perhaps one of the most challenging operations, Naval ships patrolled the Somali coast. The Army and the Air Force controlled almost 1,73,000 sq km of the land, the largest held by any contingent,quot;said one official.

Then came Rwanda, Angola, Sierra Leone, Haiti, Bosnia and Herzegovina. quot;Even today India is training officers from Seychelles, Laos, Mauritius, Botswana, Zambia and Bhutan in peace-keeping,quot; he added.

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