New Delhi: They are brave! They are fit and strong! They love India and show no mercy to people who think about destroying India.
India is proud of its Para Commandos!
The para commandos of the 4th and 9th battalions, who carried out the surgical strikes in Pakistan territory on and destroyed terror camps operating from there, are a part of the Parachute Regiment of Indian Army.
These para commandos are trained for special operations like the one just concluded in Pakistan.
Army, Navy and air force have their own Para Commandos
All three wings of the armed forces have their own commando units, trained specially for operations involving direct action.
These commandos handle operations like hostage rescue, counter-terrorism, unconventional warfare, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defense, counter-proliferation, counter-insurgency, seek and destroy and personnel recovery.
Indian Army has the Parachute Regiment, popularly called the para commandos.
Birth of Army's Parachute Regiment
The Parachute Regiment was raised in 1945 but was disbanded after the World War II.
It was re-raised in 1952 and is made up of seven Special Forces, six airborne, two Territorial Army and one counter-insurgency (Rashtriya Rifles) battalions.
Played role in several operations
These commandos have played significant roles in special combat, ranging from the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971, Operation Bluestar, Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka and in several anti-terror operations.
During Operation Bluestar, commandos of 1 Para (SF) were tasked to lead the attack on the Golden Temple for evicting Sikh militants hold up there.
They were a part of the India Peace-Keeping Force in Sri Lanka and were also involved in Operation Cactus in Maldives.
In 1999, nine Parachute regiment battalions were deployed for Operation Vijay in Kargil and played a significant role in the conflict.
The para commandos have also been involved in several counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeastern states.
They have also been involved in United Nations' peacekeeping operations, including those in Korea (1950-54), Gaza (1956-58) and UNAMSIL in Sierra Leone (2000).
