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The former half of that bright orange sentence is the ultimate sentence signal device used in Hollywood films. A not-so-subtle tool employed when a director wants to make sure the audience know that ‘shit’s about to go down.’ But even while we all nodded with familiarity at the American Special Task force, how many of us could claim to know that the Cobras are one of India’s very own elite special force teams. And it’s not the only one either.
Given the sheer size and magnitude of the country, it didn’t come as a huge surprise to us that we have not one, but eight elite special forces in India and we’ve managed to excavate as much information about each as we possibly could, in the hopes that we can (and should) rightfully provide them with a little glorification of their own considering the perilous nature of their job that requires them to put their own lives on the line for civilians like us.
Without further ado, here are 9 Indian elite special forces that you really should know.
I. Para Commandos
One of the most important special forces in the country, the Para Commandos are a unit of the Indian army. Established in 1965, they deal with hostage rescue, counter terrorism, personnel recovery and asymmetric warfare. Almost all of them are recruited from the Parachute Regime of the Indian army, due to which they are always kept at an optimum level of operational efficiency and physical fitness. Some of their more notable operations included the 1971 war with Pakistan, the 1999 Kargil war and the infamous Operation Bluestar in 1984.
II. Special Frontier Force
Formed in 1962, the main goal of creating the SFF was to conduct covert operations behind Chinese lines in the Sino-Indian War. After the war, the SFF has been used for various other tasks, first under the intelligence Bureau, and eventually under the Research and Analysis Wing. Presently, the team carries out various operations such as counter-terrorism, intelligence gathering, combat air control and also occasionally training foreign military.
III. Ghatak Force
The Ghatak Force is an infantry platoon. Ghatak in Hindi means lethal, and these forces act as Shock Troops and spearhead assaults. The team mostly comprises of 20 people, and only the most physically fit and motivated soldiers are selected to be a part of the Ghatak Force. Their operations include special reconnaissance, raids on enemy artillery positions and air attacks on targets deep within enemy lines.
IV. Force One
The Force one is one of the more recently formed special elite forces. Formed by the Maharashtra Government in 2010 after the Mumbai terror attacks, the job of the Force One is to protect the Mumbai metropolitan area. The unit specialises in counter terrorism, and is one of the fastest response teams in the world, taking just 15 minutes to get ready and respond to a terror strike.
V. MARCOS
Short for Marine Commandos, MARCOS is a special operations unit of the Indian Navy. Although capable of operations in any kind of terrain, the MARCOS specialise in operations conducted in a maritime environment. MARCOS, operational since 1987, is known to carry out various operations related to counter terrorism, amphibious warfare, hostage rescue and unconventional warfare. They are also known to be widely feared among the terrorists, who call them “Dadiwala Fauj” because of their brilliant bearded disguise.’
VI. Garud Commando Force
A Special Forces unit of the Indian Air Force, the Garud Commando Force was established in February 2004. Its job is to protect the various bases of the Indian air force, and to provide security and relief in times of disasters. Named after the divine mythical bird-like creature Garuda, it is currently deployed in the Congo region in Africa as a part of the UN peace keeping operations.
VI. National Security Guard
Created in 1986 for counter terrorism activities, the National Security Guard is considered to be one of the best special operations units in the world. It works within the Central Armed Police Forces structure, and boasts some of the latest technology and weaponry in its arsenal. Some of their most successful operations include the Black Thunder I (1986), the Boeing 737 hijack of 1993, and more recently, the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai.
VII. Special Protection Group
The SPG is a protection agency of the Government of India. It is responsible for the protection of the Prime Minister of India, and even the former Prime Ministers. Post the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, the SPG became more organised, and no attacks have been carried out on any Prime Minister since. Their job is to assess threat, gather intelligence, and provide impenetrable protection.
VIII. COBRA
A specialised unit of the CRPF to control the Naxalite problem in India, the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA) was formed in 2008. The elite force has been trained to track, hunt, and eliminate the small notorious naxalite groups that exist in the country. Since its inception, the COBRA has been involved in various battles with the naxalites, eliminating quite a few, although the war between the two forces rages on, even today.
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