Battle Of Sylhet
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The Battle of Sylhet ( bn, সিলেটের যুদ্ধ ''Silet-er Juddho'') was a major battle fought between the advancing
Mitro Bahini The Indian Army had no standby force ready in 1971 with the specific task of attacking East Pakistan, one of the many reasons why India did not immediately intervene after Pakistan launched Operation Searchlight in March 1971. Indian Army's Ea ...
and the Pakistani defences at
Sylhet Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate an ...
during the
Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...
. The battle took place 7 December and 15 December and was the
Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
's first heliborne operation.Battle Of Sylhet. Defence India
It was a succession of the
Battle of Gazipur The Battle of Gazipur ( bn, গাজীপুরের যুদ্ধ) was a military engagement on 4 and 5 December 1971, during the Bangladesh liberation war. It took place at the Gazipur Tea Estate near Kulaura, in the Sylhet District of ...
in
Kulaura Kulaura ( bn, কুলাউড়া) is the biggest upazila (subdistrict) of the Moulvibazar District in north-eastern Bangladesh. The total area of this upazila is 545 km2. Hakaluki Haor, the largest marsh wetland in Sylhet and one of the ...
. On the first landing in the outskirts of Sylhet, they met 31 Punjab, which promptly ran away, sporting the fear of the Gurkha Khukri from Atgram. Then they took off for Sylhet, and were met by heavy fire on landing. They forced the Gurkhas into a pocket, which they were unable to breach. Evacuations by Mi-4s continued all night, and an Alouette provided fire support. But, by then, BBC sent out news that India had landed a 'Brigade', which incited fear in the enemy Garrison, whereas only a battalion was landed in Sylhet. This forced the Gorkhas to impersonate a Brigade. The continuing evacs at night convinced the enemy that the Gurkhas were being constantly reinforced. Then, on December 16th, the whole enemy garrison of 8000 men surrendered to Brigade Commander 'Bunty' Quinn.


See also

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Timeline of the Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War started on 26 March 1971 and ended on 16 December 1971. Some of the major events of the war are listed in the timeline below. Timeline Interactive Timeline of the Bangladesh Liberation War Before the war *1 March ...
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Military plans of the Bangladesh Liberation War Prior to Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, India had no plans for large scale military action in East Pakistan. Since the Sino-Indian War of 1962, the primary objective of the Indian Army Eastern Command was the defence of the Indian northern and ...
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Mitro Bahini order of battle The Indian Army had no standby force ready in 1971 with the specific task of attacking East Pakistan, one of the many reasons why India did not immediately intervene after Pakistan launched Operation Searchlight in March 1971. Indian Army's Ea ...
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Pakistan Army order of battle, December 1971 On 25 March 1971, the Pakistani military, supported by paramilitary units, launched the military operation to pacify the insurgent-held areas of East Pakistan, which led to a prolonged conflict with the Bengali Mukti Bahini. Although conventio ...
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Evolution of Pakistan Eastern Command plan The Eastern Command of the Pakistan Army was a corps-sized military formation headed by a lieutenant-general, who was designated the Eastern Command Commander. After the partition of India by United Kingdom, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was ...
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1971 Bangladesh genocide The genocide in Bangladesh began on 25 March 1971 with the launch of Operation Searchlight, as the government of Pakistan, dominated by West Pakistan, began a military crackdown on East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) to suppress Bengali peopl ...
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Operation Searchlight Operation Searchlight was the codename for a planned military operation carried out by the Pakistan Army in an effort to curb the Bengali nationalist movement in former East Pakistan in March 1971. Pakistan retrospectively justified the opera ...
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Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts Since the Partition of India, Partition of British India in 1947 and subsequent creation of the dominions of Dominion of India, India and Dominion of Pakistan, Pakistan, the two countries have been involved in a number of wars, conflicts, and m ...
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Meghna Heli Bridge Meghna Heli Bridge, codenamed Operation Cactus Lilly, was an aerial operation of the Indian Air Force during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, commencing India's involvement in Bangladesh Liberation War. It took place on 9 December, when the I ...


References

Battles of the Bangladesh Liberation War Battles of Indo-Pakistani wars 1971 in India December 1971 events in Asia History of Sylhet {{battle-stub