Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday hailed the newly-trained SOG Commandos as a critical engine to boost the State’s preparedness in countering terror in the transformed scenario, which had made the earlier SWAT irrelevant, and promised his government’s full support to further strengthen the new unit.
Capt Amarinder, interacting with the trainee Special Operations Group (SOG) commandos at the Commando Training Centre after witnessing various drills performed by them to showcase their capabilities and preparedness, said that the use of non-conventional means of warfare by terrorists and militants had necessitated the transformation of the State’s counter-terror apparatus.
Underlining the need for such a specialized force, the Chief Minister observed that the intensity and gravity of fidayeen strikes on Dinangar Police Station and on Pathankot air base had major ramifications for the border State. Though the frequency of militant related incidents had come down considerably post conventional militancy period, there now existed a new and graver threat in the form of unconventional militancy, he added.
DGP Suresh Arora said that the need for a specialized force was felt after the Dinanagar attack, which was finally translated into reality by the Chief Minister with his decision to set up SOG in August last year.
The total training period of 12 weeks for the SOG commandos would include specialized training by international forces, he said, adding that the possibility of sending them to Israel for training would also be explored.