President, PM salute Indian soldiers who died in WW I

Paying tributes to Indian soldiers who fought in World War I which ended a century ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said India was committed to peace and pledged to create an atmosphere where wars don't occur.

President Ram Nath Kovind also saluted the Indian soldiers "for their sacrifice in East Africa and the Western Front, Gallipoli and the Gulf, the sea attack on Chennai and the skies above France. Their memory commits us to global security and global peace."

Modi said: "Today, as we mark 100 since the end of the horrific World War I, we reiterate our commitment towards world peace and pledge to work to further an atmosphere of harmony and brotherhood so that the trail of death and destruction caused by wars does not occur.

Remembering the soldiers who fought in the war, the Prime Minister said India was not directly involved in the conflict but Indian soldiers fought across the world for the cause of peace.

"I have had the honour of paying tributes at the Neuve-Chapelle Memorial in France and at the memorial in Israel's Haifa, places associated with India's role in World War I," he said.

"When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to India, we paid tributes at the Teen Murti-Haifa Chowk."

World War I lasted from July 28, 1914 to November 11, 1918.

--IANS

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