IAF carries out daring night rescue operation in Sudan

In a daring operation carried out on the night of April 27 and 28, a C-130J aircraft of the IAF rescued 121 personnel from a small airstrip at Wadi Sayyidna, which is about 40 km North of Khartoum in trouble-hit Sudan.

The passengers included medical cases, including a pregnant lady besides those who had no means to reach Port Sudan.

According to an official from the IAF, the convoy was led by the Indian Defence Attaché, who was in continuous touch with IAF authorities all along, till they reached the airstrip at Wadi Sayyidna.

Notably, the airstrip had no landing lights, no navigational approach aids or fuel and the aircrew upon approaching the airstrip used their Electro-Optical/Infra Red sensors to ensure that the runway was free from any obstructions and no inimical forces were in the vicinity, according to a report in ANI.

The eight IAF Guard Commandos, upon landing, secured the passengers and their luggage into the aircraft while the aircraft engines were kept running.

The take-off from the unlit runway was also carried out using NVGs. "The approximately two-and-a-half-hour-long operation between Wadi Sayyidna and Jeddah will go down in the annals of IAF history for its sheer audacity and flawless execution - akin to that carried out in Kabul," said an IAF official.

It has to be noted that it is the same airport where Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shot at a Turkish evacuation plane as it was landing on Friday, damaging its fuel system.

Meanwhile, another batch of the Indian Air Force C-130J flight with 135 stranded Indians took off on Friday. This is the 12th batch of stranded citizens heading to Jeddah.

"An IAF C-130J takes off from Port Sudan with 135 passengers for Jeddah. This marks the 12th batch of stranded Indians evacuated under #OperationKaveri," Arindam Bagchi, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, said.

The deadly fighting between Sudan's army and a paramilitary group, which broke out earlier this month, has reportedly left around 416 people dead and at least 3,551 injured.

With inputs from ANI