Army planning a counter terrorism village with Mosque and Church to train troops

NEW DELHI: The Indian Army is planning to create a model village complete with a mosque and a church to train troops in counterterrorism operations at its newest officers training academy in Gaya. The full- scale model will replace operations in the Northeast and J&K.

An elaborate tender floated by the academy has revealed the detailed plans of the proposed “counter terrorist village”. The village will have several mannequins of villagers clad in burqas, phirans, ‘Muslim cap’, ‘Church father dress’ and Pathani suits. It will also have a few mannequins with ‘North East Ladies’ clothing, besides some with police uniform.




The model village, smaller versions of which exist at the other training academies will have several bamboo and stone huts, besides a pond and hidden areas where weapons and stores can be located. “The idea is to replicate the situation that exists during real combat missions. This will give young personnel under training a chance to hone their skills before they go off for specialised training,” an army officer said.

One of the things being planned is a cart with a hidden space within, which is encountered during counter-insurgency operations, he said. While similar villages are constructed during exercises and joint training missions, such as the ones conducted with the US Army, this will be one of the few permanent installations at the training academy.

The academy, raised in 2011, is currently churning out close to 350 cadets. It was commissioned to meet the severe shortage of officers with the army.