Indian contingent leaves for Congo on help mission

A 120-strong Indian Air Force contingent on Tuesday left for United Nations Peace keeping mission at Kindu, the strife-torn eastern region of Congo. The contingent would be manning the airfield services unit at the Kindu airbase from where the military support and combat helicopters operate to support the ground-based United Nations peacekeepers in the region.

Wing Commander G S Bedi is leading the contingent. According to officials, the contingent includes a 30-member security complement drawn from IAF special forces unit, the Garud Force.

These men have undergone intensive training in both armed and unarmed combat with the Indian Army and National Security Guard. The IAF, at present, operates another helicopter contingent in Goma and Bukavu, which are near Kindu.

The fresh IAF contingent has been sent, as the United Nations has requested India to increase the presence of Indian troops in the region for another year, the officials said.