Operation Khukri

Operation Khukri
Part of Sierra Leone Civil War
Date13–16 July 2000
Location
Sierra Leone
Result

UN victory

  • Besieged UN Forces extracted.
  • Freetown successfully defended against RUF attack.
Belligerents

United Nations UNAMSIL

Revolutionary United Front
Commanders and leaders
Maj. Gen. V.K. Jetley[1]
Col. Satish Kumar (Commander 5/8 Gurkha Rifles)[2]
Grp. Capt. Bijender Singh Siwach[1]		 Unknown
Strength

2,000

  • Ground & Airborne units
    • 223 troops
      (5/8th Gorkha Rifles, besieged at Kailahun)
    • 6 riflemen companies
      (5/8th Gorkha Rifles & 14th Mechanised Infantry Battalion)
    • 1 rapid reaction company
      (Mechanised infantry & Para SF)
    • 18th Grenadiers
    • QRC of mechanised infantry
    • 1 company of engineers
    • 2 Para (SF)[3]
    • several mortars
    • 1 light gun
  • Aircraft
  • Reserves
    • 2 Ghanaian companies
    • 2 Nigerian companies
 5,000 (5 battalions)
Casualties and losses
1 killed
several wounded[4]
33 suffering from illness[3]
1 vehicle destroyed		 Hundreds killed & wounded
This article is part of a series on the
Sierra Leone Civil War
Personalities
Armed forces
Key events
Attempts at peace
Political groups
Ethnic groups
See also

Operation Khukri was a multinational operation launched in the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), involving India, Ghana, Britain and Nigeria. The aim of the operation was to break the two-month-long siege laid by armed cadres of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) around two companies of 5/8th Gorkha Rifles Infantry Battalion Group of the Indian Army at Kailahun by effecting a fighting breakout and redeploying them with the main battalion at Daru.[1][5][6]

  1. ^ a b c "Peacekeeping in Sierra Leone". Bharat Rakshak. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  2. ^ "Sierra Leone – Barefoot Soldiers for Social Justice, Food Security and Peace". London School of Economics Blogs. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Operation Khukri (2000)". Special Operations. Shadow Spear. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  4. ^ "USI of India". Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  5. ^ "Operation Khukri". UN Ops involving the Indian Air Force. Vayu Sena Tripod. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  6. ^ "IAF 2000 Contingent to UNAMSIL". UN Mission. Official Website of the Indian Air Force. Retrieved 19 July 2012.