IAF Personnel Rescue 121 People From Destroyed Airstrip In Sudan

Indian Air Force pilots & commandos used night vision goggles and rescued 121 people from a destroyed airstrip in a daring mission under Operation Kaveri.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) executed a daring operation and rescued 121 people from a destroyed airstrip in Wadi Sayyidna. The area was located about 40 km north of the Sudanese capital city of Khartoum. 

The rescue mission was a part of Operation Kaveri, and was carried out on the intervening night of April 27 and 28.

Those people who were rescued by IAF, included a pregnant woman and people who were the locals of Sudan. They were rescued from the key transit point from where India is rescuing its citizens using military aircraft and naval ships. 

The airstrip in question had a degraded surface with no navigational aid or fuel, and most critically no landing lights which are required to guide an aircraft landing at night.

The officials said the aircrew used their electro-optical and infrared sensors to ensure that the runway was free of any obstruction and there were no inimical forces in the vicinity. 

“Having made sure of the same, the aircrew carried out a tactical approach using night vision goggles on a practically dark night,” said the official.

Upon landing, the aircraft engines were kept running while eight IAF Garud Commandos secured the passengers and their luggage into the aircraft. 

As with the landing, the take-off from the unlit runway was also carried out using night vision goggles.

The IAF had carried out similar operations to evacuate Indians from Kabul after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021. 

The approximately two-and-a-half-hour operation between Wadi Sayyidna and Jeddah will go down in the annals of IAF history for its sheer audacity and flawless execution, akin to that carried out in Kabul. 

Sudan has been witnessing fighting between the country’s army and a paramilitary group that has reportedly left around 400 people dead.

Overall, the news highlights the bravery and courage of the IAF officers and commandos who carried out the rescue operation under extremely challenging circumstances. 

The successful execution of the mission, using night vision landing and Garud commandos, demonstrated the IAF’s operational readiness and capability to undertake such challenging tasks in foreign countries.

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