Taliban situation triggers debate on India's airbase in Tajikistan
India Today
Known as Gissar Military Aerodrome (GMA), the IAF airbase is located in the village of Ayni, not far from Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe.
About two years after the Indian Airlines plane hijack incident of 1999, India came up with what is loosely called the Ayni Project to open its first airbase outside the country. It is in Tajikistan, in the neighbourhood of Afghanistan. The Pakistani terrorists had hijacked the plane and taken it to safety under the previous Taliban regime. In 2002, the Ayni Project began as a collaborative effort between the external affairs ministry and the security-intelligence establishment. Over the years, it developed into an Indian Air Force (IAF) base, known as Gissar Military Aerodrome (GMA).More Related News