NSG trains commandos to handle hostage crisis situations in jungles

[hkdas]

NEW DELHI: For the first time in its three decade-old history, the country's elite counter-terror force NSG has begun training its commandos in undertaking precision hostage rescue missions in jungles keeping in view emerging Naxalite tactics aimed at capturing high-value targets.

The federal contingency force, which trains everyday to counter any terrorist act emerging in urban areas, has brought together a team of its chosen 'black cat' commandos to test their nerves and hone skills in this domain which has largely been an operations ground for central paramilitary and state police forces.

Strategic security planners said Naxal violence incidents in the past like the 2013 Darbha Ghati killings of political leaders in Chhattisgarh and abduction of key government officials like Malkangiri (Odisha) Collector Vineel Krishna and his Sukma counterpart Alex Paul Menon has brought to the fore an urgent requirement to prepare a 'Special Squad' of commandos who can undertake hostile missions to secure the captured and end the crisis perpetrated by the Maoists.

In order to achieve these objectives, the National Security Guard (NSG) under its new Director General J N Choudhury has prepared a blueprint to train a special forces team in this task.

The Force Commanders of the elite force who have earlier in their careers operated in such non-urban areas have been tasked with the training of the new squad.

NSG commanders, according to a blueprint prepared in this context, are now training the 'black cats' to intervene in such a situation by various methods like air insertion through helicopters, silent landing of commando teams on para-gliders or storming of a hideout in dense jungles by camouflaged land movements aided by precise intelligence of the geography and inhabitants of the area.

The commando force, raised in 1984 for undertaking special counter-terror and counter-hijack operations, is particularly bolstered to undertake these training missions as the force has the least number of 15 VVIPs to secure under its security net, a task that was not originally enshrined in its charter.

This has enabled the force to widen its counter-terror charter and use its manpower for grinding sessions in difficult jungles of various Indian states affected by Left

Wing Extremism (LWE) violence and also in forested terrains of northeastern states which are tackling the insurgency menace, sources said.

Post the 2008 Mumbai attacks, NSG has been undertaking special training and skill sessions to sharpen its response to combat in urban areas which are replete with a maze of concrete structures and milling crowds but the hostage-like threat posed by Naxals in dense jungles and interior villages has now drawn the attention of the force whose full-time task is to render contingency duties "to tackle all facets of terrorism".

The NSG, sources said, has been told by the top security establishment that the LWE cadres and their activities have been categorised as "terrorist" by the central government long time back and the Naxals can anytime spring such a surprise.

The Special Force commandos of the NSG are now being trained in survival techniques, gathering intelligence and

safe security protocols in these areas where once inserted the commandos are on their own in terms of weapons, logistics, communication, food and water for a long time without any immediate backup.

Four NSG hubs created in the country in the aftermath of the 26/11 attacks, the blueprint says, could be used to station commandos of this stream who are adept at undertaking successful hostage rescue missions in non-urban areas.
NSG Trains Commandos to Handle Hostage Crisis Situations -The New Indian Express
NSG trains commandos to handle hostage crisis situations - The Economic Times

 

[kaykay]

That's great. 5th hub is also being created in Ahmedabad and troop strength in each hub will be raised to 460 from current 200-250.

 

[Abingdonboy]

NEW DELHI: For the first time in its three decade-old history, the country's elite counter-terror force NSG has begun training its commandos in undertaking precision hostage rescue missions in jungles keeping in view emerging Naxalite tactics aimed at capturing high-value targets.

The federal contingency force, which trains everyday to counter any terrorist act emerging in urban areas, has brought together a team of its chosen 'black cat' commandos to test their nerves and hone skills in this domain which has largely been an operations ground for central paramilitary and state police forces.

Strategic security planners said Naxal violence incidents in the past like the 2013 Darbha Ghati killings of political leaders in Chhattisgarh and abduction of key government officials like Malkangiri (Odisha) Collector Vineel Krishna and his Sukma counterpart Alex Paul Menon has brought to the fore an urgent requirement to prepare a 'Special Squad' of commandos who can undertake hostile missions to secure the captured and end the crisis perpetrated by the Maoists.

In order to achieve these objectives, the National Security Guard (NSG) under its new Director General J N Choudhury has prepared a blueprint to train a special forces team in this task.

The Force Commanders of the elite force who have earlier in their careers operated in such non-urban areas have been tasked with the training of the new squad.

NSG commanders, according to a blueprint prepared in this context, are now training the 'black cats' to intervene in such a situation by various methods like air insertion through helicopters, silent landing of commando teams on para-gliders or storming of a hideout in dense jungles by camouflaged land movements aided by precise intelligence of the geography and inhabitants of the area.

The commando force, raised in 1984 for undertaking special counter-terror and counter-hijack operations, is particularly bolstered to undertake these training missions as the force has the least number of 15 VVIPs to secure under its security net, a task that was not originally enshrined in its charter.

This has enabled the force to widen its counter-terror charter and use its manpower for grinding sessions in difficult jungles of various Indian states affected by Left

Wing Extremism (LWE) violence and also in forested terrains of northeastern states which are tackling the insurgency menace, sources said.

Post the 2008 Mumbai attacks, NSG has been undertaking special training and skill sessions to sharpen its response to combat in urban areas which are replete with a maze of concrete structures and milling crowds but the hostage-like threat posed by Naxals in dense jungles and interior villages has now drawn the attention of the force whose full-time task is to render contingency duties "to tackle all facets of terrorism".

The NSG, sources said, has been told by the top security establishment that the LWE cadres and their activities have been categorised as "terrorist" by the central government long time back and the Naxals can anytime spring such a surprise.

The Special Force commandos of the NSG are now being trained in survival techniques, gathering intelligence and

safe security protocols in these areas where once inserted the commandos are on their own in terms of weapons, logistics, communication, food and water for a long time without any immediate backup.

Four NSG hubs created in the country in the aftermath of the 26/11 attacks, the blueprint says, could be used to station commandos of this stream who are adept at undertaking successful hostage rescue missions in non-urban areas.
NSG Trains Commandos to Handle Hostage Crisis Situations -The New Indian Express
NSG trains commandos to handle hostage crisis situations - The Economic Times

Given the SAG is 100% made up of IA personal on deputation and a large number of them are SFs anyway trained in jungle warfare and survival it shouldn't be a huge issue adding this capability to NSG, the real key is equipment- let's hope they get all such relevant gear for operating in jungles as all the equipment will have to be bought now.

 

[janon]

Given the SAG is 100% made up of IA personal on deputation and a large number of them are SFs anyway trained in jungle warfare and survival it shouldn't be a huge issue adding this capability to NSG, the real key is equipment- let's hope they get all such relevant gear for operating in jungles as all the equipment will have to be bought now.

I think the practice of sending Para SFs to the NSG has been stopped now. That was a serious siphoning away of very specialized talent from the IA. The black cats are not required to be trained in unconventional warfare or spec ops, they only need to be trained in CQB and HR. So taking a highly trained SF away from the parent unit was hurting the capabilities of the army. I'm not sure, but I've heard that the practice has been stopped, and only the fittest soldiers from non SF units go to the NSG.

 

[Brickwall]

why not use cobra commandos for jungle warfare , i think they have fair amount of expertise in these areas.Or maybe integrate it with NSG instead of again duplicating the efforts

 

[Abingdonboy]

why not use cobra commandos for jungle warfare , i think they have fair amount of expertise in these areas.Or maybe integrate it with NSG instead of again duplicating the efforts

Not at all, the CoBRA's have their mandate and place, the NSG have theirs. There is a clear demarcation of their mandates and it is clear why this is a long overdue move on the NSG's part. There is no overlap or duplication of efforts here.

I think the practice of sending Para SFs to the NSG has been stopped now. That was a serious siphoning away of very specialized talent from the IA. The black cats are not required to be trained in unconventional warfare or spec ops, they only need to be trained in CQB and HR. So taking a highly trained SF away from the parent unit was hurting the capabilities of the army. I'm not sure, but I've heard that the practice has been stopped, and only the fittest soldiers from non SF units go to the NSG.

That would make sense indeed, but I'm not sure if this is certain.

 

[janon]

why not use cobra commandos for jungle warfare , i think they have fair amount of expertise in these areas.Or maybe integrate it with NSG instead of again duplicating the efforts

COBRAs are already doing jungle warfare against the Maoists. The NSG, I presume, will be used only for commando raids and hostage rescue. Although the COBRAs are named "commando battalion...", I'm not sure if they fit the classic definition of commandos.

 

[Abingdonboy]

COBRAs are already doing jungle warfare against the Maoists. The NSG, I presume, will be used only for commando raids and hostage rescue. Although the COBRAs are named "commando battalion...", I'm not sure if they fit the classic definition of commandos.

They are not intervention specialists like the NSG and would only have very basic CQB/HR training. They are mostly trained/equipped for jungle warfare but not these sort of missions this is where the NSG comes in.

 

[Mike_Brando]

COBRAs are already doing jungle warfare against the Maoists. The NSG, I presume, will be used only for commando raids and hostage rescue. Although the COBRAs are named "commando battalion...", I'm not sure if they fit the classic definition of commandos.

Yeah you're absolutely right in this matter.COBRA or Commando Battalion For Resolute Action(quite an innovative name they have) is basically a group of highly trained infantry soldiers of the CRPF who specialized in jungle and guerrilla warfare.Sinply put,they are the shock troops of the CRPF somewhat like the Ghatak platoon of the Indian Army.In no way can they be termed as a conventional special force.On the other hand,the Junglas(their Colombian counterparts) is a true special unit of the Colombian National Police.
NSG will always have a clear mandate over them in case of any hostage type situation perpetrated by the Maoists even if it happens deep in the jungle as it's the only official counter-terrorist force available at this moment who have extensive experience in the field of hostage rescue.So i don't think that their respective field will overlap each other in that situation because i am pretty sure that the GoI will definitely call the NSG to deal with it.

 

[sherin616]

India can use commandos instead of crpf in nexal effected area

 

[vk17]

Well good for NSG, exercises will keep them busy. By the way all the forces which have nothing to do keep themselves busy with different exercises.

And talking about rescue operations we often face such challenges. But sadly only to rescue dead bodies of our slain brethren.

It took 9 CoBRA teams, 6 CRPF Companies, n several units of Greyhound forces and state armoured forces of Chattisgarh and Andhra and a 3 day ops to recover body of a Sub Inspector of Greyhound forces from Jungles of Dantewada. Naxals had challenged SF to come and take the body back.

And the idiots talk about rescue missons. Fucking media PR tactics.

 

[Abingdonboy]

Well good for NSG, exercises will keep them busy. By the way all the forces which have nothing to do keep themselves busy with different exercises.

And talking about rescue operations we often face such challenges. But sadly only to rescue dead bodies of our slain brethren.

It took 9 CoBRA teams, 6 CRPF Companies, n several units of Greyhound forces and state armoured forces of Chattisgarh and Andhra and a 3 day ops to recover body of a Sub Inspector of Greyhound forces from Jungles of Dantewada. Naxals had challenged SF to come and take the body back.

How large are CoBRA "teams"? Do they operate like SF teams in 6-8 man self-contained teams?

I understand that you may not want to divulge such information though....

 

[vk17]

How large are CoBRA "teams"? Do they operate like SF teams in 6-8 man self-contained teams?

I understand that you may not want to divulge such information though....

CoBRA operates in small teams of 30 commandos. Which are further divided in 3 sections with each led by an section commander.

It is not possible to work with small team size of 5-6 mens in naxal. Such a small sttength would be hunt down by naxals who mostly outnumber SFs.

In addition naxals are hardcore trained guerilla fighters.

Military wing of naxals work on guerilla principles of Che Guevara which says get back when enemy advances, chase enemy if its backing up. Trouble him when he is taking rest. And kill enemy when its exhausted.

And naxals in Chattisgarh do exactly this. In a new strategy a naxal sympathiser in civil dress in jungle will wave at you and challenge you to catch him if SFs run behind him its mostly a booby trap or IED in that way. You can't shoot as he is unarmed and if you shoot you are going to end up in prison as Human right groups are very active in naxal area. Most of them are foreign funded.

 

[hkdas]

CoBRA operates in small teams of 30 commandos. Which are further divided in 3 sections with each led by an section commander.

It is not possible to work with small team size of 5-6 mens in naxal. Such a small sttength would be hunt down by naxals who mostly outnumber SFs.

In addition naxals are hardcore trained guerilla fighters.

Military wing of naxals work on guerilla principles of Che Guevara which says get back when enemy advances, chase enemy if its backing up. Trouble him when he is taking rest. And kill enemy when its exhausted.

And naxals in Chattisgarh do exactly this. In a new strategy a naxal sympathiser in civil dress in jungle will wave at you and challenge you to catch him if SFs run behind him its mostly a booby trap or IED in that way. You can't shoot as he is unarmed and if you shoot you are going to end up in prison as Human right groups are very active in naxal area. Most of them are foreign funded.

don't cobra have a good intelligence network to track down the naxal leaders?? insurgency cannot be defeated by a conventional war. human rights only complains when a uniformed soldier shoots a unarmed naxal sympathiser, if a soldier in civilian dress shoot that guy then no one is going to complain or won't have any evidence to prove. i read in article in the week magazine that cobra don't have a good intel network, but that article was 3 years old one, any change in efficiency intelligence wing of cobra?

 

[vk17]

don't cobra have a good intelligence network to track down the naxal leaders?? insurgency cannot be defeated by a conventional war. human rights only complains when a uniformed soldier shoots a unarmed naxal sympathiser, if a soldier in civilian dress shoot that guy then no one is going to complain or won't have any evidence to prove. i read in article in the week magazine that cobra don't have a good intel network, but that article was 3 years old one, any change in efficiency intelligence wing of cobra?

No intelligence gathering is state subject in naxal area. Intelligence gathering needs money but Central govt dont want to pay any money in that head.

It is the SP of that city who provides us with intel as he has enormous funds and resouces (especially mobile surveillance) at his disposal.

IPS who head paramilitary and one who are City SP would never want CRPF develop its own intelligence wing otherwise a lot of unwanted strings especially their political bosses who are hand in gloves with naxals would get revealed.

Recently CRPF intelligence wing disclosed fact about talks between Bihar agricultural minister and naxal for support in elections in exchange of offer of removing CRPF from that area.

If CRPF is given just one month it will solve all naxal problem. But nexus is too big to let this happen. Enormous amount of money about Rs 4000 crore is taken as ransom and levy by naxals every year by mines and other establishments and this money is distributed throughout the corrupt spectrum.

And CRPF soilders are being sent their as bait and they are actually an eye wash for society that govt is trying to control naxals.

By the naxals have 10 times better intelligence netwrk than SFs. They immediately kill anybody who they doubt as mole. And pay handsomely those who provide intell to them.

Every village in naxal area have Gram dalam( village groups) whose job is to ensure the spread of naxals propaganda and provide them intel.

Every time we pass near a village. Naxal supporters start cutting wood with axe. They hit axe in systematic rhythm which alerts all naxals in nearby area. Sound of these axe could be heard from 2.5 km.

Other method are they press neck of chickens to make a shrill sound. They start beating electric pole with metal rod. They also use sankh made of cow horns to produce sounds.

Also they have moles in local police in almost all P.S. Recently a Chattisgarh police constable was arrested for providing intel to naxals in which 11 CRPF soilders were martyred.