Lured By Dollars Indian Soldiers
Are In Iraq
By Siddharth Srivastava
01 May, 2004
Countercurrents.orgThe 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.