77 Indian troops in Maldives, govt says
Muizzu, who campaigned on altering the tiny Indian Ocean archipelago's "India first" policy, on Saturday requested India withdraw its military.
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By
Aishath Fareeha Abdulla
The new government of Maldives disclosed on Sunday that there are 77 Indian soldiers in Maldives.
The number of Indian soldiers in the Maldives was revealed at a press conference held on the first official day of President Mohamed Muizzu's government.
There are 77 Indian army officers, including two technical personnel, Public Policy Undersecretary Mohamed Firzul told reporters at a press conference at the President's Office on Sunday.
Firzul also detailed the presence of Indian troops in Maldives. These include:
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25 to fly Indian-deputed Dornier aircraft
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24 to fly one of the two Indian-deputed helicopters
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26 to fly the second Indian-deputed helicopter
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2 officers for maintenance and engineering work
Muizzu, who campaigned on altering the tiny Indian Ocean archipelago's "India first" policy, on Saturday requested India withdraw its military from the country.
Muizzu won the presidential election in September, ousting Ibrahim Solih in a runoff after promising to remove a small Indian military presence of some 75 personnel.
India and China have been vying for influence in the region, with the coalition backing Muizzu considered to be leaning more towards China.
At his inauguration on Friday, Muizzu said, "I will ensure that this country has no foreign military presence on its soil."
