3 days ago
- copy link
Maldives had set a deadline of May 10 for the withdrawal of Indian troops.
Maldives Defense Minister Ghassan Maumoon has admitted that the Maldives Army is not capable of operating the aircraft received from India. Defense Minister Maumoon gave this information in a program organized at the President’s Office. Defense Minister Maumoon said that Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) does not have anyone who can fly the 2 helicopters and 1 Dornier aircraft received from India.
Meanwhile, India has already withdrawn all its troops before President Mohammad Muizzu’s deadline to expel Indian troops from the country. Now the soldiers operating the planes have been replaced by civilian Indians.
Maldivian Defense Minister Ghassan Maumoon has said that the Maldivian military is not capable of operating the aircraft.
‘Maldive soldiers could not complete training’
Ghassan Maumoon, while answering the question about Indian soldiers leaving Maldives, said, “The Maldivian Army does not have pilots capable of flying Indian planes. Some soldiers had started training to fly them under previous agreements, but they Could not pass the different stages of training and could not complete the training. Therefore, at present there is no person in our army who has a license to fly two helicopters and Dornier and can operate them fully. Could.”
Contrary to Ghassan’s statement, when Muizzu was in the opposition, he used to criticize the previous government regarding Indian soldiers. Muizzu and his party claimed that the Maldivian Army has trained pilots, yet the government is calling Indian soldiers to Maldives.
The picture is of the Indian helicopter present in Maldives. 88 Indian soldiers were present in Maldives to operate them.
Indian soldiers came to give training
In fact, Indian soldiers had gone to Maldives during the tenure of former Presidents Mohammad Nasheed, Abdulla Yameen and Ibrahim Mohammad Solih. The job of these soldiers was to train the Maldivian army. However, Maldivian soldiers could not complete the training. Due to this, under the agreement, Indian civilians will now also provide training to Maldivian pilots.
What were Indian soldiers doing in Maldives?
There were about 88 Indian soldiers in Maldives. He handled the operation of two helicopters and one aircraft. Usually they are used in rescue or government works. Indian helicopters and aircraft were helping the people there in Maldives in humanitarian aid and medical emergencies. Now civilian technical staff has been sent to handle their operations.
India had gifted two helicopters to Maldives in 2010 and 2013 and one small aircraft in 2020. There was a lot of uproar over this in Maldives. Under the leadership of Muizzu, the opposition had accused the then President Solih of adopting ‘India First’ policy.
Muijju’s election campaign was India Out Campaign.
Last year, Maldives President Mohammed Muizzu had made the issue of expelling Indian soldiers from the country in his election campaign. He named it India Out Campaign. After victory in the elections, Maldives had set a deadline of May 10 for Indian soldiers to leave the country. However, before this the Indian soldiers returned from Maldives.
