US assault rifles for Indian Army Special Forces units

India had recently signed a deal with the US worth several crore Rupees for procuring these M-4 carbine rifles for the Army's eight Special Forces battalions, Army sources told PTI here.

These guns have been used extensively by the US Special Forces in operations across Iraq and Afghanistan and are now being inducted into the eight battalions of Army's Special Forces, they said.

The guns were used by the US Navy SEALS to shoot down Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan's Abottabad in Operation Geronimo carried out in May last year.

Sources said the new guns will not be a replacement for the existing inventory of Israeli Tavor-21, Uzi and mini-Uzi rifles but will supplement the armoury.

The Tavor-21s were also inducted only a few years ago into the SF battalions which were using the AK-47s till then. A host of new capabilities are being provided to the Army's Special Forces.

The Parachute Regiment has ten battalions under it and eight of them have been trained as Special Forces, which are supposed to carry out counter-terrorist operations during peacetime and sabotage enemy installations beyond enemy lines during wars.

The Special Forces battalions include the 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 and 21 para units, which are deployed in different sectors of the country and have also been given responsibility to handle any 26/11 type attacks if they occur near their area of deployment.

The Army wants to increase the number of Special Forces troops to more than 10 battalions with around 700 men in each.