India to train Sri Lanka Special Forces

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 June 2002, 12:07 GMT]
India is to provide combat training to special forces of the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) following a request from the Colombo government, the Sunday Times reported this week.

The Sunday Times learnt that arrangements are already underway for SLA Special Forces to take up placements in some of India's leading Commando and Special Forces establishments.

The paper said the military cooperation agreement - the first since the withdrawal of the IPKF in 1990 - was worked out on a request by Sri Lanka and details were finalised when Minister Milinda Moragoda accompanied by the Army's Special Forces Training Chief, Major General Gamini Hettiarachchi and Security Consultant Ravi Jayewardene - son of the late President J. R. Jayewardene - met Indian leaders and military top brass last week.

Sri Lanka’s Special Forces have been extensively trained in the past few years by the United States Army’s Special Forces.