51 Indian soldiers have left, Maldives govt says ahead of final exit
During the presidential campaign some of the then opposition leaders had been saying that the number of Indian troops in Maldives could be in the thousands.
By
Aishath Fareeha Abdulla
A total of 51 Indian soldiers have left the Maldives so far, according to the government on Monday.
All Indian troops on three platforms in Maldives will withdraw before the 10th of this month. The troops on two platforms have left Maldives already. However, it was never disclosed just how many Indian troops were here.
Presidential Spokesperson Heena Waleed revealed this at a press conference held at the President's Office on Monday.
Indian soldiers have been stationed in Maldives to operate helicopters and Dornier aircrafts donated by India. Instead of the soldiers that have been operating these aircraft, both governments after serial sit-downs have decided to replace soldiers with Indian civilians.
The government has not yet revealed just how many of these civilians have arrived in Maldives so far either. Heena said she would announce the number of civilians who arrived in Maldives after all the Indian troops have left.
Formal talks on the withdrawal of Indian troops from Maldives have been underway since 14 January. Four meetings have been held so far in this effort.
The number of Indian troops in Maldives is still not entirely clear and documents examined so far have identified between 77 and 89 military personnel, government had said.
During the presidential campaign, however, some of the then opposition leaders had been saying that the number of Indian troops in Maldives could be in the thousands.
