Indian Navy's capture of pirate ship showcases India's world-class special forces: Western analysts
pirates off Somalia's coast shows how India's military has developed special forces capabilities on par with some of the world's best, according to Western analysts. The Indian Navy seized MV Ruen, a former Maltese-flagged bulk carrier, rescued 17 hostages and captured 35 armed pirates in the nearly 40-hour operation around 2,600 km from the Indian coast last week.
«The success of the operation marks the Indian Navy as a top-class force in terms of training, command and control and other capabilities,» CNN quoted John Bradford, Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs fellow, as saying.
«What marks this operation as impressive is how risk was minimised by using a coordinated force that includes the use of a warship, drones, fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, and marine commandos,» Bradford said.
The Navy deployed warship INS Kolkata, long-endurance Sea Guardian drones, P-8I surveillance aircraft and airdropped elite MARCOS commandos from a C-17 plane to rescue the Bulgarian-owned ship.
Experts fear the volatile security situation in the Red Sea due to attacks by Yemen-based Houthi rebels on commercial shipping may tie up international forces and provide a window for Somali pirates in the nearby Horn of Africa — presenting a multi-billion-dollar threat to the global economy.
Somali pirates' capture of the MV Ruen in December last year marked the first successful hijacking of a vessel off the strife-torn country's coast since 2017.
The vessel was hijacked by Somali pirates on December 14 last year and
