Air support to fight rebels

Shillong, July 31: The Centre has suggested use of helicopters for aerial support in flushing out militants of the Garo National Liberation Army who have set up camps in the far-flung jungles of Garo hills and remain unreachable.

For dropping men and weapons on the ground and to airlift the injured, choppers will be of great help and this will boost the ground operations, the additional director-general of police (special branch), S.K. Jain, told reporters.

“The choppers to be deployed are not for aerial attacks or operations. They are just to help the security personnel during ground operations,” he said.

At present, the Combat Battalion for Resolute Action units of the CRPF and the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team of Meghalaya police are conducting anti-insurgency operations in Garo hills.

However, these operations are hit by the nature of the terrain and adverse weather conditions. Moreover, the militants, who set up camps in the remote inaccessible terrain, also have the support of some villagers.

The rebels, who hail from remote villages of Garo hills, know the terrain and are trained in jungle warfare. The security personnel, however, have more expertise to maintain law and order in urban areas and they need to first acquaint themselves with the terrain for effective operations.

Many Meghalaya police constables have lost their lives while taking on GNLA militants in Garo hills as the rebels use different tactics in the jungle.

“For successful operations, the use of helicopters is worth trying. However, we also need to see if the costly deployment of choppers can bring out the desired results,” the official said.

In a recent meeting, Jain said the Centre had expressed its desire to spend money for the deployment of choppers but had left the decision to the state government after analysing the situation.

“We are discussing at the government level before finally taking a decision,” the official said, adding that the community had to be taken into account before deploying choppers to avoid suspicion or panic.

A police official said once the rebel camps were identified, aerial support to the ground troops could be ensured with the help of helicopters, thereby accelerating the ground attacks to neutralise the militants. “The use of helicopters is no way connected with aerial attacks. It is only to assist the men on the ground,” he added.