As the war for political dominance in Yemen intensified, India launched Operation Raahat in the last week of March, to rescue some 4,000 Indians stuck in the conflict zone. Minister of State (External Affairs) and ex-Army chief General VK Singh was sent to Djibouti, on March 31, to supervise the rescue operations. India has so far rescued some 3,300 people, and authorities hope to wrap up the large-scale operation in a couple of days.
Challenges surfaced at every point as India deployed airplanes, warships, passenger ships, and even rented boats to bring back Indians working in Yemen. Yemen is an arid region which is prone to weather activity. The region usually experiences high temperatures and dust storms. More than anything else, evacuation operations in a war-torn territory are always a delicate affair. This increases the degree of difficulty as authorities cannot afford any casualties whatsoever.
India carried out rescue operations using two modes of transport, air and sea. In order to airlift Indians rescued from Yemen, India employed two Airbus A320s, a Boeing 777, and two C-17 Globemasters. Air operations in a war-hit zone require skill, care, and vigilance. Rebel forces can easily target an aircraft as it lands or while it is air-borne. The C-17 Globemasters can track incoming missiles and are equipped with missile countermeasures in the form of flares. But civil aircrafts do not enjoy that luxury and can become an easy target. Despite all these limitations and dangers, India has done a great job so far. On April 5, an Air India aircraft rescued 488 people from the Yemen capital Sana’a. A day later, Air India carried out the single largest evacuation in a day by rescuing 574 people from Sana’a to Djibouti. So far, more than 1,000 Indians have been airlifted from Yemen.
Rescue operations were also carried out by sea. Waters in the region are prone to cyclonic storms during this time of the year. Moreover, even with no storm activity taking place, rough sea conditions continue to prevail in the Arabian Sea. In addition to all this, in case of an attack, evasive measures for any floating vessel are generally slow and take time. Showing extreme resilience in the face of growing adversities, India sent at least five ships to Yemen to evacuate Indians. The Indian Navy deployed INS Mumbai, INS Tarkash, and INS Sumitra to speed up rescue operations in Yemen. They also received assistance from passenger ships Kavaratti and Corals which were sent by India’s shipping corporation. On one particular instance, heavy firing on Yemen’s port city Aden prevented naval ships from entering the ports. The Indian Navy then hired small boats to help Indians reach the naval vessels.
The conditions in Yemen have worsened as rebels continue to take charge of important cities. India’s proximity to the conflict zone, combined with its aerial and naval might, make it one of the most capable contenders of carrying out such a rescue mission. This is why some 26 countries have requested for India’s assistance in evacuating their citizens from the war battered zone. The rescue efforts also saw India rescuing Pakistani nationals and vice-versa, as Operation Raahat received commendation from Prime Minister Modi as well.
(Featured Image Credits: Sitanshu Kar)
(Main Image Credits: 10news.com)
