Two months after Defence Minister A K Antony went on a high-profile visit to the Maldives, initiating the process to bring the country into India’s security grid, the Maldives Special Forces have started training in India as per a long-term plan to augment defence relations.

While India is setting up a series of radar stations and has started conducting regular aircraft sorties over the island nation to ensure its security, the elite special forces of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) have started training at Belgaum.

A batch of close to 50 soldiers and officers from the MNDF commenced a junior leader wing training exercise at Belgaum on Monday. Over the next two weeks, they will undergo a series of exercises to derive from the experience of the Indian Army units that have been battle hardened in counter-insurgency warfare.

Sources said this is the second in a series of counter-terrorism exercises with the island nation and would become a regular affair, given India’s commitment to help Maldives improve its security setup.

The arrival of the MNDF soldiers coincides with the deployment of a Dornier maritime patrol aircraft by the Indian Navy to the Maldives.

The aircraft, which will carry out coordinated patrols to prevent piracy, drug trafficking and a watch on terrorist activities, would be based in Maldives from October 18 to 23.

As reported by The Indian Express, Maldives approached Delhi for security aid earlier this year over fears that one of its island resorts could be taken over by terrorists.