3. Operation Cactus
In November 1988, the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), a militant Tamils invaded Maldives.
The Indian Armed Forces, with assistance from R&AW, launched a military campaign to throw the mercenaries out of Maldives.
On the night of November 3, 1988, the Indian Air Force airlifted the 6th parachute battalion of the Parachute Regiment from Agra and flew them over 2,000 km to Maldives.
The Indian paratroopers landed at Hulhule and restored the government of the then President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom at Malé within hours.
The operation, labeled Operation Cactus, also involved the Indian Navy.
Swift operation by the military and precise intelligence by RAW quelled the insurgency.
