Referring to the interaction between the US and India during Operation Cactus carried out by Indian forces in the Maldives in 1988, former Indian Army chief General VP Malik (retd) on Saturday signaled a change in the way the US now views partners. He said that the sinking of the Iranian naval ship Iris Dina by US forces in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sri Lanka on March 4 showed that the United States no longer believes in consulting with partners when using military forces in the region.
“The US sinking of the IRIS Dena indicates the spillover of the West Asian war into the Indian Ocean. Reminds me of Op Cactus (Maldives) in November 1988. The Maldives government was desperate to get $1 million[itary] Helps. “While we were discussing our response and plans in the OR, FS (Foreign Secretary) KPS Menon received a phone call,” Malik wrote on X as part of a three-post repost.
In that call, the then US envoy John Gunter Dean wanted to know what India intended to do to help the Maldives government, Malik said. “He conveyed that the US believes that India has the first right in this regional political crisis. If any assistance is needed from the US, they will consider it. US Navy ships will take 48 to 72 hours to reach Mali,” Malik wrote.
However, the Indians refused American help, according to Malik, and successfully completed the mission in 36 hours. “The IRIS Dena incident shows that in a strategic partnership, the United States now believes it does not need to consult partners when using its weapons.”[itary] Malik concluded his speech with the armed forces in the region.
General Malik, in a 2023 Hindustan Times article, narrated how Operation Cactus was carried out.
Eighty armed rebels and mercenaries managed to take control of the Maldives’ capital Male, including the main government buildings, the port, and the television and radio station. They surrounded the National Security headquarters and forced entry. President Abdul Gayoom went into hiding to escape arrest. Early on November 3, 1988, his Foreign Minister contacted foreign countries, including India, seeking urgent assistance. Malik, who was a brigadier general in the Directorate of Military Operations at the time, wrote that the Maldives were in a state of panic.
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On that day, he said that a Cabinet meeting was held at 11 am: “The Cabinet meeting begins with the arrival of the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. All possible geopolitical, strategic and military scenarios, ramifications and risks associated with launching an operation are discussed over the next two hours. No other country is ready to send troops to the Maldives. Our Prime Minister approves the plan of immediate airlift of Brigade Bara by high-speed long-distance aircraft from Agra. If this force cannot be landed at Halole (Airport Malé, will return to Trivandrum, Kerala, the next morning, and attempt to land a smaller AN-32 aircraft.
Indian troops landed in Mali around 10 pm. Malik and others returned to Thiruvananthapuram in India while paratroopers were deployed on the ground in Malé to take control and search for President Abdul Gayoom.
“November 4, 3.30 a.m.: Mali is under the complete control of Indian paratroopers. Gayoom has been located and his security has been ensured. Contact the Prime Minister [Rajiv] Gandhi wanted to thank him for the quick help in saving him and his country.
He recounted that over the next 36 hours, Indian Navy ships intercepted the MV Progress Light, which had rebels on board and was carrying hostages, including the protectors of the Maldives minister, and forced them to surrender along with its crew, the rebels and the hostages.
“I am proud to inform you that our forces have carried out the mission assigned to them in an exemplary manner in accordance with the highest traditions of the Indian Armed Forces,” Malik said in Parliament.
The Hindustan Times reported on that day in 1988 that President Abdul Gayoom later thanked Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, in a radio broadcast, for saving his country from bloodshed.
Qayyum indicated that he had survived three coup attempts since his election to the presidency in 1978, but he did not indicate who was behind the latest attempt to overthrow him. However, diplomatic sources and a Sri Lankan military official in Colombo blamed the attack on Sri Lankan Tamil fighters, who they said were recruited by an agent of former president Ibrahim Nasser, HT reported.
