NSG commandos summit Mt Everest in maiden attempt

Commandos of the premier counter-terror force NSG Thursday created history as they scaled the Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, in their maiden attempt, a senior official said.

A seven-member team of the National Security Guard (NSG), led by Lt Col J P Kumar, successfully unfurled the Indian flag at the 8,848-metre tall peak at about 7 am Thursday, the official said.

"The team adopted the south eastern approach via south Col in Solukhumbhu region of Nepal," the force said in a statement.

NSG Director General Sudeep Lakhtakia congratulated the team, saying "Everest demands doggedness, tenacity, perseverance, courage and multiple skills to survive in toughest conditions. The NSG commandos have all these qualities".

The 12-member team was flagged off by Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba on March 29 from here. Five other members of the team are likely to summit the peak on May 22 as per schedule, according to the statement.

This is the first expedition of the NSG to the Mount Everest and the force has been preparing for it since 2017, the official said.

The NSG, called as the 'black cats', was raised in 1984 as a federal counter-terror and counter-hijack contingency force. It has five hubs in the country to undertake these operations.