India had saved the life of the President of this country, know how he was rescued safely from the enemies?

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom: In 1988, India carried out one of the fastest and most decisive military rescue missions in South Asian history. The name of this mission was Operation Cactus. This operation saved the life of Maldives President Mamoon Abdul Gayoom. His government was on the verge of collapse after a sudden armed coup in the center of the capital Male. What happened after this surprised the whole world.

Sudden coup in Maldives

On the morning of 3 November 1988, armed rebels attacked Malé, the capital of Maldives. 80 to 200 mercenaries belonging to the Sri Lankan Tamil militant group People’s Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam had attacked simultaneously. They rapidly captured large areas including government buildings, communication centers and strategic bases with the aim of toppling the government of President Mamun.

the president went into hiding

As the rebels strengthened their hold on the city, the President’s security team quickly swung into action. He secretly sent the President to a safe place to avoid being caught or killed. Isolated, downtrodden and facing a threat to the existence of his government, Mamun was in urgent need of external military assistance.

India helped

President Mamoon contacted several major powers including the United States, United Kingdom and Pakistan. But no one could answer immediately. Due to shortage of time, he contacted Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. India took stock of the situation and decided to take action without any delay.

Within a few hours, India planned and started Operation Cactus. Ilyushin II transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force took off from Agra carrying elite paratroopers of the Indian Service. The troops were airlifted more than 2,000 kilometers away and landed at Hulhule air base near Male within just nine hours of the distress call.

won quickly

It is said that the Indian Army did not have maps of the Maldives and had to rely on tourist brochures to understand the layout of the islands. Even landing at the airport was risky. The pilots were not sure whether the runway was under rebel control or not. Despite these difficulties, Indian soldiers secured the airport, reached Male by boats and controlled the rebels as well as rescued the President from his hideout.

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