‘Coordination vital to thwart ‘IS’ threat in sea’

Manama

The terrorist organisation Islamic State (IS) has so far not engaged in any battle in the sea, as its operations have been limited to the ground. But a good understanding among naval forces of various nations is vital to combat the prospective threat of IS in the sea, said Indian Navy Defence Adviser, Captain N. Hariharan.

Addressing media onboard INS Deepak, which is on a goodwill visit to Bahrain, he said that the naval forces of the world are capable of answering any prospective threat of IS. Goodwill visit of naval ships help different countries to build coordination.

Highlighting the activities of Indian Naval forces, he told DT News that the forces had played a major role in fighting the pirates of the coast of Somalia. 

“The Indian Navy has been active in the Gulf of Aden waters since 2008. The naval forces have independently acted against the pirates when the activities of pirates had reached their peak. But of late, the pirate activity has come down on the coast of Somalia, due to heavy presence of naval forces of different countries, he said, adding that their forces are ready to respond at any time,” he added. 

INS Tabar, which is also on a goodwill visit to Bahrain, was deployed in the Gulf of Aden waters in 2008. Since then, this naval ship successfully thwarted many hijack efforts of Somali pirates.

Captain Sujit Kumar Chhetri, who commands INS Deepak, said that the navy does not have any boundaries. Similarly, terrorism also has no boundaries. 

The threat of terrorism could be addressed successfully with the cooperation of naval forces of different countries.

He said that the goodwill visit is aimed at seeking out cooperation between the naval forces of Bahrain and India. 

“The Middle Eastern region is very important when it comes to ensuring oil and energy security. Therefore, the Indian naval officers would try to strengthen the existing maritime diplomacy,” he said.

He said that they had a good interaction with the chief of Bahrain Navy, expressing hope that the cooperation would be enhanced in future. 

Indian Ambassador Alok Kumar Sinha, and Captain Ashutosh Ridhorkar of INS Tabar were present on the occasion.