Indian Naval frigate INS Talwar on deployment in the Western Arabian Sea for maritime security operations under the ambit of the Bahrain-based Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) apprehended a suspicious dhow on April 13 and recovered 940 kgs of narcotics. The frigate was part of the Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 led focussed operation Crimson Barracuda.
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“INS Talwar’s specialist boarding teams and MARCOs seized 940 kgs of contraband narcotics. The drugs are being disposed of as per CMF’s standard operating procedures,” the Navy Spokesperson said on Tuesday. The focus of CTF 150 is maritime security and counter-terrorism.
In July 2022, India has joined CMF, a US-led multi-national naval partnership that aims to promote security, stability, and prosperity across international waters in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Last November, India announced its decision to become a full member of the grouping. Indian Naval ships and aircraft are being deployed for CMF led operations on regular basis, as reported by The Hindu earlier.
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In September 2022, Indian Navy participated in its maiden exercise with CMF as an associate partner with INS Sunayna participating in the capacity building exercise Operation Southern Readiness conducted at Seychelles September 24 to 27, 2022.
As reported by The Hindu earlier, the Indian Navy Liaison Officer posted at the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in Bahrain will also function as the point person for cooperation with the CMF.
The CMF is a multi-national naval partnership, to promote security, stability, and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters, which encompass some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.
The 34 nation grouping is Commanded by a U.S. Navy Vice Admiral, who also serves as Commander U.S. Naval Forces CENTCOM and U.S. Fifth Fleet. All three commands are co-located at U.S. Naval Support Activity Bahrain. In the immediate neighbourhood, Pakistan is a full member of the CMF.