Elite ‘ghosts’ give China bloody nose
● The Special Frontier Forces (SFF), mainly consisting of Tibetans, is said to have taken control of a PLA post inside Chinese territory during the recent provocation which jolted the enemy and pushed both the armies to the brink of a bloody clash.
They are trained to operate behind the enemy lines and are masters in special guerilla tasks. Well-versed with the geography of the area in the enemy territory and the local language, these bunch of hard young men are specialists in carrying out overt and covert operations during wartime. But they are ‘ghosts’ and remain that way forever.
Amid heightened tensions between India and China along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, the ‘Vikas battalions’’ under the Special Frontier Force (SFF) — a secretive Tibetan force — was at its operational best as they played a vital role in capturing some of the key heights along the LAC during the fresh border standoff between the two armies near the southern bank of Pangong Tso lake near Chushul in Ladakh on the intermittent night of August 29 and 30.
Interestingly, the SFF is said to have taken control of a PLA post inside Chinese territory during the recent provocation which jolted the enemy and pushed both the armies to the brink of a Galwan valley like bloody clash. This was perhaps the first time since the 1962 war when Indian forces took control of a PLA post.
Sources having first-hand knowledge about the functioning of the SFF and the developments in the ongoing standoff at Pangong Tso told Deccan Chronicle that SFF, consisting largely of Tibetans and even Gorkhas, are trained in special guerrilla tasks, who operate behind the enemy lines during wartime. Subversions and ambushes are at the centre of their overt and covert operations. During wartime, they are under the operational control of the Army.
“The SFF personnel are used for different purposes, mainly trans-LAC operations. They are trained to disguise as locals in the enemy territory, speak their language, establish contacts and carry out operations from there. Subversions and ambushes are what is expected of them. Just like the Ladakh Scouts, a majority of the men in SFF are Tibetans,’’ a senior Army official, who has full knowledge about the operations of Vikas battalion, told this newspaper.
At least six battalions of SFF were raised in the aftermath of the 1962 Sino-India war, and they now form part of the Directorate General of Security, which is part of India’s external agency Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).
During the Kargil war, SFF battalions were deployed in sub-sector Haneef in Turtuk and sub-sector west of Siachen Glacier and worked in the most inhospitable terrains, which sources described as ‘’worst places.’’ ‘’They are paid at par with the Army,’’ the officials said adding that the SFF personnel are recruited from the Tibetan diaspora settled in India.
A highly secretive organisation ever since it came into existence, the key to keeping them ghosts is the “deniability factor’’ behind every operation accomplished by the SFF. ‘’They are expendables,’’ sources said.
The SFF came back into focus ever since the Galwan valley clashes which left 20 soldiers of the Bihar regiment dead and they have been ‘’highly active’’ since the bloody clashes.
‘’At Pangong Tso, they have been playing a key role. During the recent provocation, the SFF, along with the Indian Army, took control of the PLA post which helped the Indian Army to a great extent. This is the first time since the 1962 war that their post was captured. That is the prime reason why the Chinese are seething with anger,’’ sources said.
In the 1971 war, the SFF was deployed in the Chittagong hill tracts in East Pakistan to neutralise Pakistan Army positions and help the Indian Army advance ahead.
They were airlifted into operational areas and infiltrated behind enemy lines to destroy communication lines of the Pakistan army.
● The SFF units have their own rank structures which have equivalent status with Army ranks, and all their operations are classified. While they do get trained in weapons with the Indian Army, they have their own training establishment where they are given special training in guerrilla tasks. It is learnt that women too are part of the SFF who are tasked with specific roles.