Our troops not capable of operating aircraft from India Maldives Minister

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'Our troops not capable of operating aircraft from India': Maldives Minister

In Reports
12:18 PM, May 13, 2024
Myind Staff

On Sunday, Maldives Defence Minister Ghassan Maumoon acknowledged that despite the withdrawal of Indian soldiers, the country's defence forces are still not equipped to operate the three aircraft donated by India.

This comes a day after Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer said 76 Indian military personnel in the island nation, were replaced by civilian personnel sent by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, which manufactured the helicopter donated by the Indian government.

The press conference held at the President's Office revealed that despite ongoing training, no Maldivian soldiers in the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) are certified to operate these aircraft, local media reported.

"As it was a training that required passing various stages, our soldiers had not reached completion due to various reasons. Therefore, there aren't any people in our force at the moment who are licensed or fully operational to fly the AHL platforms and Dornier," Ghassan said at the press conference held at the President's Office.

Notably, contrary to Ghassan's statements, senior officials of the current administration, while in opposition, had criticised the previous government and asserted that there were capable pilots within the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).

The training of Maldivians was the main reason for the arrival of Indian soldiers with the helicopters donated by former Presidents Mohamed Nasheed and Abdulla Yameen's governments and the Dornier aircraft brought by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's government.

Maldives Foreign Minister Zameer stated that the agreement to replace Indian soldiers with civilians also included provisions for training local pilots.

The Maldivian government said there were 89 soldiers in the island nation to operate a military helicopter and a Dornier aircraft donated by India, which were used mainly for medical evacuations. Despite this, Foreign Minister Zameer stated that the agreement to replace Indian soldiers with civilians also includes provisions for training local pilots.

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