India's 'Operation Cactus' was difficult...let's know?
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Calling an urgent meeting in Delhi, prime minister Rajiv gandhi pledges to provide aid to the maldives as quickly as feasible. Attending the meeting were the chiefs of the Army, air Force, RAW, and all other top officers. During the discussion, it was initially intended that the 50 Parachute Brigade soldiers would land in Male via parachute. On the other hand, its practical implementation was difficult. The maldives is made up of hundreds of small islands, so there was a chance the parachute may land on one of them or fall into the ocean.
To land safely, the Parachute Brigade required the area of twelve football-field-sized stadiums. In addition, neither a map of the capital, Male, nor comprehensive information on the Maldives' exact location were available to India. Terrorist control of Male airport posed another issue, making landing impossible.
In the end, it was decided that the indian forces would only land via plane. However, this aircraft will land at Hulhule Ireland, which is the closest airport to Male, rather than at Male Airport. This is where the male city will enter. This is the start of Operation Cactus in India. This was to be the indian Army's first large-scale operation conducted on foreign land.
