Achham incident : Another debacle

Kathmandu Saturday February 23, 2002 Falgun 11, 2058.

By PRITAM S RANA

The recent attack by the Maoist rebels in Achham on army, police and civil administration has demonstrated that despite the emergency in effect, the rebels have not yet lost the initiative. It also proves our Prime Minister wrong when he exclaimed that the rebels have been defeated after the imposition of the emergency. The incident also demonstrates the weakness of the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) and the largely ineffective police (vis a vis the Maoist insurgency).

The government’s main fighting arm in countering the armed rebellion is the RNA. During the emergency, the RNA deployed itself to the remote corners of the country, especially the affected areas and arrested thousands of people suspected of rebel ties. It also neutralized by fire those unwilling to surrender. However, the Achham incident has shown that these efforts were simply not sufficient. The rebels simply appear to have relocated to areas where the security presence was the minimum, trained in those areas and struck out somewhere. It is sad that only incidents of this magnitude attracts the attention of the government and causes it to take some meaningful steps.

Whether anyone likes it or not there is a war going on in this country. Who is winning is pretty hard to tell. After the declaration of the emergency, many were convinced it was the government, which was winning. But sadly the present Achham incident has proven that it is too premature to expect government victory. To combat the rebellion, the government should change its political and military tactics. There should be greater measures for security. The security forces have to be further furnished with modern equipments. The mental status of officials and leaders of the security apparatus should be changed.

In the Achham incident, an entire platoon (a unit of up to 40 soldiers) of RNA was wiped out. Hundreds, possibly a thousand or more rebels, did it. Here the culprit was lack of modern automatic weapons. An RNA platoon has only three automatic weapons while a US Army squad (7 soldiers) has seven automatic weapons. This shows that the smaller US unit has greater firepower than a much larger Nepali unit. If all the soldiers in the RNA platoon at Achham had automatic weapons, they would have been able to put out a massive volume of fire at the enemy forcing them to scatter or retreat. The standard RNA rifle is semi-automatic and fires in a slower rate. The Maoists used automatic weapons stolen from their past raid on the Dang barrack.

It has been demonstrated time and again that the Maoists rely on human wave tactics to overwhelm police and Army. The only answer to counter this threat is to rely on a massive firepower. The RNA and the police both have to procure automatic rifles as their individual weapons. The police will have to give up their vintage 0.303 rifles for more modern weapons. The Army must also procure belt fed light machine guns and distribute it to sections, subunits of the platoon. It should do away with its magazine fed light machine gun for they are slow and need frequent changing of magazine.

The RNA should also procure night vision goggles to detect and fight with the rebels at night. The news that some newer Army Mi-17 helicopters having night vision system is promising, but units in the field, the infantry also need night vision goggles. In counter-insurgency operations heavier weapons like the mortar should be given to frontline units rather than held centrally by the battalions. If RNA troops in Achham had mortars, by their fires, they could have well dispersed the rebels at a distance making it much easier to defend.

Nepal is a mountainous and hilly country. Much of the rebel activities are also in such remote and inaccessible terrain. So the primary means of movement is by foot. The RNA and police units have to move on foot to maintain their presence on the ground. But moving on foot is terribly slow process. The alternative expensive means of transport is helicopters. Helicopters due to their vertical take off capability can reach all types of terrain. Helicopter does not even need to land or touch the ground to embark or disembark personnel or other loads. It can simply hover above ground and do the job. The current inventory of helicopters is insufficient. The government should procure a large number of helicopters. It is well known that it is difficult for the government to purchase high cost helicopters. But it should look for other ways. Some time ago US Secretary of State Colin Powell was in Nepal. Nepal should ask for security assistance from US at a time when the US administration is up against fighting terrorism globally. The US provides military aid to many countries in the world.

The helicopter would be highly useful in the current counter-insurgency. Troops can be ferried rapidly from one point to another. Isolated outposts like Achham garrison could receive ammunition, food and other supplies via helicopter. A helicopter can also carry rockets, machine guns and cannon capable of supporting ground troops. Injured troops can also be rapidly evacuated to hospitals and other health facilities. Helicopters can be put to other uses as well: carrying out rescue operations in the aftermath of floods and famines.

The loss of RNA and police lives has also made it imperative that government boost the fighting capability of the security forces. A serious evaluation of the past strategy is to be undertaken. New tactics ought to be considered. If possible the RNA and the police should launch offensives against suspected territories where rebels have sanctuaries and training facilities. It should also invite experts from overseas in form of military advisers from countries like the US who have history of counter-insurgency warfare. In case of the US, it has Special Forces, who are elite troops capable of fighting in difficult terrain against all sorts of opposition. The US Special Forces include the Green Berets, Rangers and Delta Force who have latest experience in Afghanistan. The government through proper US government channels should invite these troops. They could train the RNA and the police and hone them up to the standard to effectively counter the Maoist rebels. Since the Maoists have now been declared terrorists, there should be a common ground between the US and His Majesty’s Government in the global war against terrorism. The war between the Maoists and the government is likely to continue. By burning the district headquarters of Achham, the Maoists have proven themselves to be terrorists and not any political group. Therefore it is imperative for the government to curb the continuing activity of the Maoist by employing new ways and with international assistance.