Rajpal Punia & Damini Punia, Operation Khukri: The True Story Behind Indian Army’s Most Successful Mission as part of the United Nations

Rajpal Punia & Damini Punia, Operation Khukri: The True Story Behind Indian Army’s Most Successful Mission as part of the United Nations, Penguin Random House, India, 2021.

ISBN (hardcover): 9780143453369

“Operation Khukri: The True Story Behind Indian Army’s Most Successful Mission as part of the United Nations” jointly authored by Maj. Gen. Rajpal Punia and his daughter Damini Punia is an enthralling first person account of the events that unfolded in the rustic town of Kailahun situated in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone between May and July 2000. The book serves as a primary literature for the important contribution of the Indian Army as part of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) constituted for establishing lasting peace in the war-ravaged West African nation. The most distinct aspect of the book is how it combines the personal journey of its protagonist Maj. Gen. Rajpal Punia, then a battle-hardened Major who led 233 Indian troops in enduring a three month long siege laid by the ruthless Revolutionary United Front (RUF) that eventually ended with the successful breakout staged by the Indian Army with the historical narrative of the humanitarian and socio-economic effects of lasting conflict among the population of Sierra Leone.  The book explores the emotional and psychological stress endured by the Indian troops and officers deployed on foreign soil confronting an enemy infamous for its ruthless tactics and barbaric practices. To the general reader, the book serves as a testament to the indomitable resolve and the professionalism of the Indian Army who played a significant role in inflicting a decisive blow to the RUF and forcing them back to the negotiating table that laid the foundation of lasting peace in Sierra Leone.

The book’s contents are divided into eleven chapters that seamlessly capture the essence of the operation from its initial stages of deployment from New Delhi to the final breakout of hostilities between the besieged Indian Contingent and the RUF in Kailahun. The first chapter brings out the psychological dilemma that Maj. Punia went through before accepting the offer as a company commander in UN Peacekeeping Mission in Sierra Leone and the role of his family in persuading him to take up the offer. Having served three years in the high altitude terrain of Jammu and Kashmir combating infiltrators and insurgents from across the Line of Control (LOC) and enduring the pain of being away from the family, the author initially makes the obvious decision to decline the much-sought offer which is viewed as a lucrative opportunity within the Indian Army.  Ultimately, it is at the insistence of Mrs. Punia that the author decides to accept the assignment. This particular aspect of the book draws the attention of the readers towards the duty-boundedness of not only the men and women donning the olive-green uniform but also of their families. Between Chapters two and three, the book chronicles the initial complexities and challenges that were encountered by the Indian peacekeeping contingent en route to their principal area of operation in Kailahun, which was considered to be the heartland of the RUF. Through these chapters, the reader is made aware of the operational modalities and the vetting procedures involved in a typical UN peacekeeping deployment and the important role of the commanders of the peacekeeping contingent in ensuring the troops under their command adhere to operational standards required for such deployment.

Chapters four and five narrate the journey of the Indian Contingent from Lungi to the heartland of the RUF in Kailahun. Tasked with facilitating the disarmament of the RUF under Lomé Peace Agreement, Maj. Punia and his men bear witness to the scourge of war inflicted across Sierra Leone by the brutalities of the RUF en route to Kailahun. It is also learned here that the RUF which was initially raised as a force to combat Sierra Leone Government that was perceived to be corrupt by the local populace gained mass support. But soon through the involvement of Liberia, the RUF indulged in the lucrative business of diamond smuggling, turning against the very people who once supported it. The Indian contingent shouldered the most important mandate of the UNAMSIL, a task that the contingents from other nations had declined, which is to disarm RUF in their own heartland through the establishment of Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) camps. Chapter Six narrates the last leg of the Indian contingent’s journey to Kailahun, where eventually they establish contact with the RUF and swiftly earn the goodwill of the local population. In Kailahun, the author meets and knits close friendships with three individuals amidst the most unlikely situation. These three individuals are Papa Geima, the village chieftain, Sister, a native of Kailahun and a RUF sympathizer and finally Colonel Martin, a RUF field commander. To the reader, these three individuals make for compelling characters as each of them represents a distinct aspect of the conflict.  While Papa Geima represents the weariness of the people in the hinterland of Sierra Leone, Sister is a manifestation of human tragedy in conflicts having lost her entire family in the war and Colonel Martin represents the humane face of the RUF, who is otherwise bound by the ruthless and malevolent ways of his organisation. The author’s personal bond with these three individuals plays a key role in shaping the developments in subsequent months of the Indian contingent’s presence in Kailahun.

The bonhomie that quickly develops between Maj. Punia and Colonel Martin brings out the importance of cordial relations between the field level commanders of belligerent forces as a prerequisite for initiating Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) that are necessary for carrying out operations such as disarmament. Chapter Six narrates an incident where Maj. Punia along with his men had even risked carrying out a joint patrol with RUF near the Guinea border. Eventually, the Indian contingent is successful both in earning the local support from the people of Kailahun and initiating the disarmament of the RUF cadres. Despite a good start and commencement of the planned disarmament process, a stray incident that unfolded in a DDR camp in the town of Makeni far away from Kailahun had quickly led to a swift deterioration of the situation in entire Sierra Leone. RUF which until then was cooperating on disarmament suddenly became hostile when some of its cadres were killed by the UN as they were protesting the delay in disbursement of funds deemed to be received by the cadres for laying down arms. Post this incident, the situation in Kailahun turns flip side as the region is the heartland of RUF. The situation turns RUF against the UN peacekeepers and as a result Maj. Punia along with some members of international UN observers are taken hostage while on a scheduled meeting. Finally, good sense prevails among the RUF leadership and Maj. Punia along with the other International observers are released to join the Indian Camp in Kailahun. Once back in the safety of the Indian camp, the book perfectly captures the psychological dilemma that Maj. Punia went through in deliberating between laying down arms and standing firm to keep up with the traditions of the Indian Army. Being a hardened soldier Maj. Punia chooses the latter by standing firm against the RUF despite the overwhelming odds of his contingent being cut off and the fast dwindling supplies necessary for sustaining their presence.

Between chapters eight and ten, the buildup of tensions between the besieged Indian Contingent and the RUF is captured in great detail. This includes Maj. Punia’s operation of relocating his men based in an abandoned Kailahun hospital to tactical high ground overlooking the town right under the nose of RUF, presented through a captivating narration of events. This chapter also captures the field improvisation that the Indian contingent carried out for staging their breakout from the RUF siege. Once again it dwells deep into Maj. Punia’s psychological dilemma between being a soldier and a moral human being. The final chapter narrates the climactic incident where the Indian contingent staged a successful predawn breakout on 15 July 2000 against an unsuspecting RUF to regroup with the Indian Contingent in Daru. The RUF being inflicted with heavy casualties by the Indian Army, suffered a major blow. This turns out to be a crucial factor that forced RUF back to the negotiating table that eventually reinstated lasting peace in Sierra Leone.

However, the book also has certain shortcomings.  One such issue is the lack of details on the incident in the DDR camp in Makeni wherein peacefully protesting RUF cadres were killed by UN peacekeepers eventually resulting in the derailment of the otherwise smooth process of disarmament in entire Sierra Leone. This important incident has been mentioned by the author as a passing reference on page 96 and requires to be presented in greater detail for the reader to understand how such stray incidents can play a detrimental role in the peace process for resolving entrenched conflict scenarios. Also, the Indian contingent had gained immense local support from the town of Kailahun which later turns to be an instrumental factor in the release of both Maj. Punia and other Indian peacekeepers who were held as captives by the RUF. But these very people are put in harm’s way during the breakout of the Indian contingent from Kailahun. Although the author expresses remorse for this hard decision, it generates inquisitiveness in the mind of the reader about the fate of the innocent Kailahun residents who were present on 15 July 2000 and what would have been their view about the Indian Army’s action post the incident. Despite these issues, Operation Khukri is a seminal work that throws light on the Indian Army’s lesser-known successes in UN peacekeeping.