French anti-terror force offers to train NSG men

GIGN, National Gendarmerie Intervention Group, the French anti-terrorist force has offered India to provide special training to NSG commandos, reports Manish Tewari.

French elite anti-terrorist force GIGN (the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group) has offered special training to India’s National Security Guard (NSG) commandos on a reciprocal basis.

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“We are considering the offer. We plan to soon put up a proposal before the government for sending our men to France for training,” NSG director general NPS Aulakh said on Friday.

If the proposal gets the nod, this will be the first time NSG commandos will train abroad.

Aulakh said the government is procuring sophisticated weapons for NSG commandos based on the experience of the elite anti-terror force during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks from countries such as Austria, France and Switzerland.

“The process of equipping the force with new weapons is in the final stages,” Home Minister P. Chidambaram said, while addressing commandos at the 25th Raising Day ceremony.

“We’ll defend India...Every day, we are adding to our capacity to deal with the terror threats,” added the minister

Asked whether the Indian Army has expressed its inability to provide officers and men on deputation to the elite commando force owing to a manpower shortage, the NSG chief said: “The Army is also in the extension mode. But we are not facing any problem. As and when the Army sends men to us, we send them for training.”

The director general said crack teams of NSG commandos would soon take position at the Indira Gandhi International Airport as the government has provided five acres to the NSG to create a base for the elite force. The commandos were also training for interventions required at the Metro railway stations across the country.

An anthem for the NSG written by renowned lyricist Gulzar and sung by Shankar Mahadevan was also released on the occasion of the raising day.