Incursion issue: IAF resumes supplies to Army units in Daulat Beg Oldi area

New Delhi: After having briefly halted its operations in the Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) area in Ladakh after the incursion by Chinese troops, IAF has resumed its operations to supply rations to the Indian Army units deployed there.

The Indian Air Force had briefly halted its operations in the area after the incursion took place on April 15 but it has now started dropping supplies for the troops in that area using its helicopters, government sources told PTI here. The Army depot for gathering and distributing supplies to the units deployed in the DBO area is at a short distance from the place where Indian and Chinese troops face each other, they said. IAF uses its Mi-17-V5 choppers to keep the supply lines open for the ground troops based there. About four years ago, IAF had reactivated the Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) at DBO by landing an An-32 transport aircraft there. The force has operated all its major transport aircraft including the latest C-130J Super Hercules planes at ALG. Meanwhile, to find ways of resolving the incursion issue, Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh today met National Security Adviser (NSA) Shivshankar Menon to brief him about the various military options before the government. The Army has already given several options to the government including that of using force for resolving the situation. Several meetings of the China Study Group headed by Menon and other forums have taken place following the incursion. PTI