Lured By Dollars
Indian Soldiers
Are In Iraq
By Siddharth
Srivastava
01 May, 2004
Countercurrents.org
The
first reports about the happening appeared in January. Now it is a phenomenon
that has spread across the country, involving possibly thousands of
people. In a very discreet operation, US and British security sub-contractors
are seeking out Indian ex-servicemen known for their professionalism
and discipline for deployment in Iraq.
Moves by the coalition
forces to outsource security are a result of the alarming increase in
casualties, with indications of the war dragging on for some time. Further,
there is a less likelihood of an attack on an Indian, who mingles easily
with the general population, and who is also generally considered friendly
by Iraqis. For the retired lowly paid Indian soldier, the money being
doled out is attractive and difficult to refuse.
Needless to say,
the Indian personnel work under the direct command of United States
and British forces. Most are deployed to perform security duties, such
as guarding key installations like oil wells, refineries, food convoys
and ports, as well as normal day-to-day duties around military camps.
Though there is no involvement in direct combat, the situation in Iraq
is fraught with risk, with some reports indicating that a few Indians
might already have been injured.
In June last year,
the Indian government turned down a US request to send an Indian peacekeeping
force to Iraq. In a statement the Ministry of External Affairs said:
"The government of India has given careful thought to the question
of sending troops to Iraq. Were there to be an explicit UN mandate,
the government would consider the deployment of troops to Iraq."
The stand of the Indian government has remained the same since, having
resisted all pressure from the US.
The first indication
of the transfer of Indian personnel to Iraq was from the south Indian
state of Kerala, which is the hub of Indians heading for the Middle
East in general as engineers, construction workers and other skilled
jobs. The reports said that around 500 ex-servicemen, who had served
in various fighting units of the Indian Army (artillery, infantry armored
core), had been recruited from the central districts of Kerala for deployment
in Iraq. The contingent was termed as the first-ever "Indian regiment"
to work as a mercenary force for the US, with the recruitment done by
a Kuwaiti company working for the US Army. The entire process was done
without the knowledge of the central government in Delhi, or bodies
responsible for the welfare of ex-servicemen.
What followed was
a series of similar details emerging from the north Indian states of
Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana, where the maximum numbers of retired
soldiers reside. These ex-servicemen are approached by Indian private
security agencies which front for the sub-contractors appointed by the
US and British forces in Iraq.
The money, by Indian
standards, is very good, due to which many ex-soldiers, who have to
make do with low pensions, are willing to take the risk. A sepoy (private)
is being offered as much as $750 a month, a captain $1,250, major/lieutenant-colonel
$1,750, a colonel $2,500 and brigadier $3,500. A serving brigadier in
the Indian Army earns much less than $1,000 a month - a private almost
nothing. Most of the ex-servicemen chosen are below the age of 55 and
medically fit. Preference is given to those who have been involved in
counter-insurgency operations, fighting guerrilla attacks in northeast
India or experience of war.
Action in Iraq
However, as everyone
knows, life is not all that easy in Iraq. In an interview that has appeared
in the weekly Outlook magazine, Colonel T Kapoor, among the first to
serve in Iraq, spoke about his experience. Kapoor re! turned to India
recently after being injured in a guerilla attack. "It's good money,
but it's not all hunky-dory. You never know what you may encounter because
it's a very volatile situation. Besides, the guerrillas have superior
weapons, like rifle-fired grenades, while security personnel like us
are given inadequate weapons like AK-47 rifles. Ordinary Iraqis are
generally nice to Indians, but when you are working with the occupying
forces, you get targeted by the resistance fighters," says Kapoor.
However, unlike
illegal trafficking of humans, the transfer of ex-army personnel is
an organized process with care taken to ensure that the interests of
the individual are well protected. Executives (mostly former army men)
of some of the of the security agencies, such as Trig Guardforce, based
in Mumbai, and Gemini Veteran Global Placements, based in New Delhi,
have spoken to the media detailing the organization. The sub-contractors
pass on the Indian bio-datas to the US general ! office for screening
and selection. Insurance cover ranges from $10,000 to $50,000, while
valid visas-holders are usually routed through Kuwait into US bases
in Iraq.
The Indian government
has obviously got wind of these developments, but there has been no
overt clampdown as of yet. There have been murmurs of protest within
the Indian army establishment, with some serving officers feeling that
it is wrong to indulge in mercenary activities when the Indian government
has taken a strong stand against sending troops to Iraq. Others have
voiced concern about ex-serviceman being privy to sensitive information
related to national security.
But there are others,
within the army as well, who are not averse to the idea and see it as
an opportunity for ex-servicemen to find employment. More importantly,
the sainik (soldier) welfare boards that are quite active in the north
Indian states have come out in support of the deployment, given the
abysmal state of the retired! Indian soldier, who has to struggle to
make ends meet.
Retired officers,
too, are not averse. The Indian armed forces follow a steep hierarchical
structure due to which several officers take premature retirement. Though
young, the best years are behind them, the experience and training of
these officers are often underutilized and they find employment in relatively
lower-skilled jobs involving man-management. Heading to Iraq is harking
back to the earlier days when life was a risk in any case, as well as
another chance to utilize their skills for a decent salary.
As the war in Iraq
turns bloodier by the day, there are going to be winners and losers,
wherein economic compulsions may override other risks. But, a life lost,
whether American, Iraqi or Indian, will always be a tragedy.
Siddharth Srivastava
is a New Delhi-based journalist.