Wednesday, March 4, 2009

India moves troops to West Bengal

According to Times of India, India has airlifted "elements'' of its para-brigade based in Agra to Kalaikunda in West Bengal to deal with any contingency which arises due to the internal turmoil in Bangladesh.

Sources said over a battalion strength (over 1,000 soldiers) of the 50 Independent Parachute Brigade was moved on Sunday from Agra to Kalaikunda, which has a large IAF base. "Depending on the situation, more could follow. With Bangladesh army progressively taking over from the paramilitary BDR in posts along the Indo-Bangladesh border, it's a precautionary move,'' said a source.

With India keen on securing Bangladesh's firm cooperation in rooting out anti-Indian terror and insurgent outfits operating from its soil, the armies from the two countries recently came together to hold their first-ever counter-terrorism exercise in February-March.

Over the last couple of years, New Delhi has actively worked towards bolstering ties with Dhaka - which included forging links with Bangladesh Army chief General Moeen U Ahmed, who took over the country's reins in early-2007 - with one of the main objectives being the need for both countries to "resolutely'' tackle terrorism together.

New Delhi wants Dhaka to act decisively against the over 100 suspected terror-training camps and hideouts of North-East insurgent outfits within its borders, apart from a hard crackdown on Harkat-ul-Jihad-Islami (HuJI), which has left its imprints in several terror attacks in India.

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