In a first, the government is planning to send Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commandos to provide security to the Indian embassy in Baghdad.
A Ministry of Home Affairs official said the deployment was being made on the request of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The embassy in 2014 issued an advisory asking Indians living in Iraq to leave the country owing to the “precarious security situation.”
The Iraqi government is locked in an armed conflict with the terrorist outfit Islamic State.
45-member contingent
“Considering the high-level threat in Iraq, it was decided to secure the premises of the embassy with own security personnel,” the official said. The CRPF has agreed, in principle, to provide 45 personnel. “The contingent will be deployed for three years and it will provide security to the Indian embassy premises and officials when they move outside,” the proposal seen by The Hindu says.
Personnel proficient in Anti-Terrorism Operations and trained in defusing Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) would be preferred for the job, the proposal added.
An official said CRPF personnel who have served in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas will be given preference. “This is the first time the CRPF is being sent to secure an Indian mission,” he said.
However, CRPF DG R.R Bhatnagar said no final decision has been taken on the deployment.
