India Deploys Garud Commandos Along LAC From Ladakh To Arunachal

The Indian Air Force's Garud Special Forces have been deployed at high altitude positions along the China border for specialist operations. The Garuds have been stationed at the Line of Actual Control since May 2020, and are known for their elite combat capabilities and multitasking abilities.

The IAF has also equipped Garud commandos with cutting-edge weapons such as American Sig Sauer assault rifles and the AK-103, the latest version of which, the AK-203, will be manufactured in India under the Make in India scheme.

“The Garud Special Forces are deployed in frontline areas along the China border from eastern Ladakh to Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, where they will carry out specialist operations if required,” Special Forces officials said.

These troops have been stationed on the LAC since 2020, shortly after the Indian Air Force deployed aggressively to counter Chinese aggression in the region.

Recent weapons include Sig Sauer, AK-series assault rifles and Israeli Tavor rifles and their various variants," officials said.

The troops also have Negev light machine guns and Galil sniper rifles, which can kill enemy troops from 800-1,000 metres.

The Garuds used the Negev LMG in the famous Rakht Hajin operations in Jammu and Kashmir, where the Garud team killed five terrorists and Corporal Jyoti Prakash Nirala was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra. Late Gen Bipin Rawat had great faith in the Garuds' capabilities and deployed them in the Kashmir valley with the Army's Rashtriya Rifles units to get a real sense of operations.