Tackling terror: US comes calling

American soldiers are in India to learn life saving tactics while fighting terrorists. "Had he looked at the ventilator, the US soldier might have saved his life," said a senior Indian Army officer during the joint Indo-American military exercise underway at Chaubattia in Ranikhet in Uttaranchal. The senior officer of the Indian Army was making the Americans aware of the techniques involved in guerrilla warfare practised in Jammu and Kashmir and other strife-torn areas of the country.

Indo-US joint exercise in tackling terror is said to be the need of the hour as terrorist groups across the world are networking and using the latest
technology for the same. Venugopal Pillai visits Ranikhet to have the first- hand information on the training that concludes on January 28.

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American soldiers are in India to learn life saving tactics while fighting terrorists. "Had he looked at the ventilator, the US soldier might have saved his life," said a senior Indian Army officer during the joint Indo-American military exercise underway at Chaubattia in Ranikhet in Uttaranchal.

The senior officer of the Indian Army was making the Americans aware of the techniques involved in guerrilla warfare practised in Jammu and Kashmir and other strife-torn areas of the country.

One of the major exercises that proved useful to the US soldiers was room clearance or attack on a hide-out. "The exercise is being conducted with the help of the IWES system," said Brig G Ilangovan, the commander of the Kumaon Regimental Centre (KRC).

IWES is the Infantry Weapons Effect Simulator System, in which bullet shots are replaced with laser shots. "The difference during the exercise is that the terrorists and the bullets are not real, but the scene that is being enacted is the same as that faced by the soldiers fighting insurgency in Kashmir," said the commander.

The exercise starts with soldiers cordoning off the house occupied by the terrorists.

"The first job here is to provide safety to the civilians in the vicinity," said the Brigadier."Our soldiers then cordon off the house in two rings, inner and outer, and crawl stealthily towards the target. The terrorists hiding inside the house are the target. Sometimes if a civilian is held hostage, the situation becomes critical and we have to react patiently and tactfully", he added.

As the group of American soldiers moves secretly towards the house, one of them barges into the house shouting a command "Bravo 1 in" and opens fire killing one of the terrorists on the spot, but when he moves forward he does not look at the ventilator, where a terrorist is hiding.

As a result, the terrorist shoots him, killing him on the spot. This makes the trainer officer react spontaneously, "He should have looked up."

Then he instructs the group of Americans on how they should move inside a house occupied by terrorists or in hide-outs

About the laser gun, the Brigadier said that sensors were attached to the chest cover of soldiers and when a beam fell on the sensors, a beep signified that the soldier had been shot. "The accuracy in the practice is such that any error on the part of the soldier is detected during combat and later on is worked upon to rectify it," said Col R K Mahna.

The operation needs pin drop silence, but sometimes barking dogs alert terrorists. "Dog bark is one of the major problems during such operations," admitted Commander Ilangovan.

Another major exercise is that of the Jungle Lane Fighting. During this exercise, patrolling soldiers move in sensitive parts of a jungle to track down mercenaries.

The terrorists are spread across a section of the jungle. During the practice, the Americans have laid out dummy terrorists, which are remote-controlled. " The soldiers have to spot them and hit them before they open fire at the soldiers", said Col Mahna. But the US soldiers are not familiar with the terrain and are often caught unawares. "This is the most popular exercise among the US Army members, who pursue it till late night and sometimes till the wee hours", the commander added.

The training was being conducted in three phases, said Brig Ilangovan. In the first phase, the army men acclimatised themselves. Room Clearance and Jungle Warfare formed the later part of the training.

The American soldiers are being trained under the watchful eyes of the officers of 9 Kumaon Regiment. "We will learn the technique of fighting terrorists from the Indian soldiers and pass it on to others back home," said Sergeant Jackson of the US Army.

One company of the US Army comprising 120 soldiers, including a woman, is undergoing exhaustive exercises in the foothills of the Himalayas, despite the fact that the Americans are breathing hard owing to the low level of oxygen at the high altitude (approximately 7,000 metres above sea level).