Which of the following country's army conducted 'Operation All Clear' with the assistance of India?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 1:

The correct option is **1 (Bhutan)**. The Royal Bhutan Army (RBA) conducted "Operation All Clear" in December 2003 to flush out separatist militants who had set up bases in the dense forests of southern Bhutan, bordering India. These militant groups included the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), and the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), which were utilizing Bhutanese territory for sanctuary and launchpads against the Indian government. The presence of these groups posed a significant threat to India's security and internal stability, particularly in the northeastern states, as well as violating the sovereignty of Bhutan. India provided crucial assistance to Bhutan for this operation, including intelligence sharing, logistical support, and sealing the border to prevent the militants from escaping into Indian territory, thereby ensuring the success of the RBA’s operation in restoring peace along the border and cementing the strong strategic defense cooperation between the two nations.

The incorrect option is 2:

**Nepal** has a long-standing tradition of non-alignment and non-interference in military affairs involving foreign nations, especially concerning internal operations. While India and Nepal share a strong cultural and open border relationship, there is no record of the Nepalese Army conducting an operation named 'Operation All Clear' with direct military or significant logistical assistance from India targeting internal or cross-border insurgent groups. The security challenges faced by Nepal are unique, largely dealing with Maoist insurgencies in the past, which were addressed internally, or through peacekeeping missions abroad, without a need for joint "Operation All Clear" style military action with India. India’s engagement with Nepal is generally focused on development aid, trade, and disaster relief, rather than coordinated military strikes under a specific code name like this.

The incorrect option is 3:

**Sri Lanka** has historically faced significant internal security challenges, notably the civil war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). While India did intervene in Sri Lanka in the late 1980s via the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) under the Indo-Lanka Accord, this action was a massive, high-profile military intervention—not a relatively discreet, targeted operation named 'Operation All Clear' by the Sri Lankan Army with Indian assistance. Furthermore, India's relationship with Sri Lanka regarding military operations has been complex and at times strained, particularly concerning the deployment of foreign troops on Sri Lankan soil, differentiating it sharply from the collaborative nature of Operation All Clear in Bhutan.

The incorrect option is 4:

**Maldives** is a small island nation whose military establishment focuses primarily on coastal security, counter-terrorism, and protecting its maritime boundaries, rather than dealing with large-scale land-based cross-border insurgencies. The geographic separation of the Maldives from the Indian subcontinent's mainland also means it does not share the kind of porous and forested land border that facilitates insurgent activity, as seen in the Bhutan-India region. Therefore, the requirement for the Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF) to conduct an operation like 'Operation All Clear' with Indian assistance to clear land-based militant camps simply does not align with the country's security context or geographical realities.