Anti-Maoist ops: NSG training CRPF jawans in heliborne tactics

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has begun training its personnel in special commando tactics involving heliborne operations with the help of the elite National Security Guard (NSG) to enhance their skills for the anti-Maoist drive.

A group of instructors from the NSG have begun training the troops in helicopter 'slithering' operations in Raipur as these skills are useful for troop insertion and casualty evacuation during Maoist ambushes and encounters, a senior CRPF official said.

"In a helicopter slithering operation, the troops are trained to skillfully slide down and enter an operational area with the help of a rope lowered from a chopper. The NSG is the best in this department and, hence, we have asked them to train our men," he said.

The NSG had conducted a 'slithering' operation atop Jewish complex — Nariman House — during the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

A fleet of MI-17s, deployed for anti-Maoist operations, are being used by the NSG 'black cats' to train the CRPF men and commandos of the CoBRA battalion. The CRPF has been playing a key role in anti-Maoist operations in the country.

The force has deployed more than 70,000 personnel for such operations in various states and is now training its men in various combat skills like crippling IEDs and undertaking jungle warfare operations with the help of trainers from the Army.