Operation Raahat: India rushes to evacuate 4,000 citizens from Yemen

India on Tuesday night got permission to dock its ship at the Aden harbour for the evacuation of nearly 400 Indians from the sea port city as the government launched a massive air and sea evacuation operation for its over 4,000 nationals in strife-torn Yemen.

Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh headed for Djibouti, a country neighbouring Yemen, to oversee the evacuation exercise christened 'Operation Raahat' under which a total of five ships and four aircraft have been deployed.

"INS Sumitra is in Aden harbour. Evacuation of our nationals was underway," Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs Syed Akbaruddin said.

Defence sources said INS Sumitra was diverted from its anti-piracy mission in Gulf of Aden to rescue nearly 400 Indians in the port city of Aden.

Two warships have also been pressed into service besides two other passenger ships while the Indian Air Force has put on stand-by two C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft.

Air India has also stationed two 180-seater Airbus A320 planes in Muscat for evacuation of Indians from Yemen's capital Sanaa to Djibouti whenever a clearance is given by the concerned authorities.

The Defence sources said four ships, including destroyer INS Mumbai and stealth frigate INS Tarkash -- will reach Yemen by Saturday. Two merchant vessels -- Kavaratti and Coral -- have also been dispatched.

The four ships are to join each other in Arabian Sea on April 2 and proceed as a composite group to Djibouti.

The two 180-seater aircraft dispatched by Air India yesterday remain stuck in the Oman capital Muscat due to want of clearance from the authorities.

"The two aircraft remained stationed at Muscat for the second today. Besides, awaiting clearance for landing at the Saa'na airport, we are also awaiting for instructions from the our government as well," Air India sources said in New Delhi.

This is the fourth major evacuation which the Indian government has undertaken. The first three were in Ukraine, Iraq and Libya.

The Indian Air Force has deployed two C-17 Globemaster planes for Yemen operations. As per the plan, they will fly into Djibouti and bring back the Indians to Mumbai and Cochin.

By the time, the four Indians ships reach Djibouti, the IAF would have carried out a number of sorties. The rest of the Indians would then board the ships and come back to the country.

"The Indian naval ships will go and evacuate the persons as well as provide anti-piracy escort duties to the various assets deployed for the operation," Vice Chief of the Navy P Murugesan said.

Saudi-led coalition warplanes pounded Yemen's Shiite rebels for the sixth day today, destroying missiles and weapons depots and for the first time using warships to bomb the rebel-held airport and eastern outskirts of the port city of Aden.

Concerned over the safety of 4,000 Indians in strife-torn Yemen, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Monday night sought the help of Saudi Arabia as he held a telephonic conversation with King Salman bin Abdul aziz Al Saud.

Image: Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, wearing an army uniform, ride on an armed truck to patrol the international airport in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, March 28, 2015. Reuters