India To Dust Off 1971 War Air Base To Counter Bangladesh's China Turn

At a time when there were media report of Bangladesh Plans to revive Lalmonirhat Airbase With Chinese, Pakistani Help Bangladesh's reported plans to revive an airbase in Lalmonirhat in Rangpur Division barely 20 from the Indian border could be a security concern for India, now India has decided to fast-track a civil airport in North Tripura Kailashahar bordering Bangladesh, which was defunct for over three decades and had played a key role in the 1971 war against Pakistan in the famous covert air operations - Kilo flight - the first air strike on East Pakistan in the 1971 war was launched for this airport, sources said. The timing of the renewed efforts to operationalise Kailashahar once again is crucial, as India's relationships with Bangladesh have become 'strained' over the past year. While it is a civil airport, all the major civil airports in the Northeast have seen capabilities enhancements and drills of Indian Air Force ( IAF) fighters landing, taking off, and refuelling in an emergency. One of the most fascinating and successful operations on the Eastern front during 1971 against Pakistan, Kilo Flight was the code name for the Mukti Bahini combat aviation formation during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. It was helped by the IAF. The Kilo flight team later led the formation of the Bangladesh Air Force ( BAF).