Thepfulhouvi Solo
One reason the ISIS seemed able to roam so freely in the desert sands of Syria and Iraq today is that the American public has become very wary of sending their troops to unknown places in the world from where they see no direct benefit coming to them. Within 10 years of a very costly war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the American Public pressured their President very hard to get American troops brought back. Therefore, America now uses only lifeless Drones in the Middle East. However, if the inhuman excesses of the ISIS to be ended, a calculated number of ground troops will be necessary. In any war, it is always the ground troops that actually occupy the battle grounds, not by aircraft or ship. This is one reason the ISIS seem to be so successful.It is American public fatigue more than anything else that enhanced the Viet Cong defeat the American soldiers so humiliatingly in the Vietnam War a generation ago. Once, Sri Lanka also seemed to be failing in its campaign against the Tamil Tigers in that Island country until the Prakasha brothers decided for a Bullet for Bullet game defying even UN proposals for peace and finally eliminated the LTTE Ogre Prabhakaran in the lagoons of the Jafna Peninsula.
Interestingly, Manekshaw when he was the Chief of the Armed Forces in India, proclaimed the Indian Army would clear Nagaland of guerrillas within a week, but when the week drew into weeks, the month into the Year and the Year stretched to more than 12 months; the Army found they lack a legal special power to combat the mountain guerillas fast becoming urban guerillas. They exaggerated the fighting qualities of the Naga guerillas to support their own new found agenda Proposals and an obliging hopeful Parliament immediately gave the Army, a special Armed Forces Power Act empowering any Army jawan down to a Subedar to shoot on sight of any Naga suspected.
Still, the best disciplined Soldiers in the world was not very zestful for battle and began to blame the lack of progress in their task of pacifying the turbulent people by postulating another truth which said the Army’s trouble in Nagaland lay, actually, not in the difficult terrain or the trackless Jungles but in the politics of the People; the Problem in Nagaland actually is political, not military!
The peaceful nonviolent politicians in the Parliament heard what they wanted to hear and accepted what the Army in the battle field supposedly learned after 42 years of unsuccessful fighting.
The government of India then hastily entered into a Ceasefire Agreement with one of the most violent Naga militant groups on unrealistic terms and without consulting the State Government of Nagaland. The GoI added even a solemn commitment it would talk only with the NSCN (IM), though soon after, it entered into another Ceasefire agreement with another NSCN Khapland group also.
Immediately, the fight between the Indian Army and the Naga militants ceased, they even had camps visible to each other and began to cultivate a camaraderie between them. In the remote place, they shared common games to pass the time. It was reported; the friendly Army camp even shared its provisions with their former enemies!
After the ceasefire, the armed Naga militant began to carve out areas of the State under their complete control for their own ancient cottage Industry. They began to eliminate other groups found in the area. An uncontrollable fratricidal elimination of each other in the Naga Groups rose leading to horse trading defections from one Group to another of more fertile Area. Elimination of Naga by Naga was carried on in earnest and the public looked on helplessly and haplessly uncontrollable. Kangaroo Courts were established on a fee of promise of a part of the disputed Land to the sage Justices of the Armed court in the event winning the Case, not difficult with the barrel of the Gun in hand! One of the most burdensome times for the public descended on Nagaland.
Yet, no Indian Army personnel died from no Naga militant’s bullet and the Army even started to engage in development Activities supposedly to win over the whole population while the whole Naga and the Non-Naga public in Nagaland groaned under the millstone of loyalty tax of the militants.
The INTERLOCUTOR between the Government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim was informed in his office:
“Sir, the American soldiers do not like to fight in Iraq, the Spanish Soldiers do not like to fight in Iraq; it is understandable the Indian Army does not like to fight the NSCN IM in Nagaland but the innocent hapless public in Nagaland are suffering under the burden of the barrel of the gun”!
“Who said the Indian Army does not like to fight the NSCN in Nagaland?” fumed the impressive well built Interlocutor”.
“Sir, they do not fight each other in Nagaland now; they are in good camaraderie, they play games together”, the Interlocutor was informed.
“Let you Nagas kill each other for another 50 years; India can still wait”, the Interlocutor said not too happily.
“Sir, you seem to be getting agitated; we are here not for offending you but to inform you of the naked truths on the ground in Nagaland”.
What was GoI for last 14 years of Ceasefire with the NSCN (K) doing? Mr. Khaplang’s Group of the NSCN abrogated the Ceasefire and suddenly the unexpected conflict between the Army and the combined militant groups have resurrected. The disease seems to be spreading from Nagaland to other areas of the Northeast too and the GoI now seem hectically searching for a formula to adopt, but seem not very resolute.
If the news media Reports are to be believed, Modi and the Government of India appear thinking to shift the Army to the post of a border chaukidar between India and Myanmar and leave the fight at last with the militant’s combined Forces in the Northeast to the insufficiently armed and insufficiently trained local police.
No doubt, the Army seemed to shift their failure to the militants having safe havens in the jungles of Myanmar; leave that matter to be solved diplomatically with the military ruler of that friendly country than leave it to the Army.
Sometime back, the news media carried an unusually surprising news that India does not have quality military Hardware for a sustained match with some of its neighbors; what amazingly very surprising of the news was that it emanated from no other than the Indian Army side: is Indian army growing soft on bullet for bullet?