From Kuwait to Iran: Evacuation operations from conflict zones by India

When Iraq’s leader, Saddam Hussein, ordered an invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990, nearly 1,75,000 Indian migrant workers were airlifted out of Kuwait by the Government of India (GoI) through Air India. The then-public airline set a Guinness World Record for the largest civilian airline evacuation.

When Libya was embroiled in a Civil War against the rule of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, the Indian Navy and Air India executed a joint rescue operation of over 15,000 Indians through air and sea routes.

Operation Raahat is a rescue operation by the Indian Armed Forces to evacuate several Indian and foreign nationals from Yemen during the 2015 Yemen Crisis. Over 6,710 people, including 4,748 Indians and 1,962 foreigners from 41 countries, were evacuated by India.

While the “War rukwaa di, papa!” meme is hilarious, the operation and the context of the campaign ad were anything but! After Russia invaded Ukraine, leading to a war between the two nations, India airlifted 18,282 Indians, primarily students, from Ukraine using over 90 flights from neighbouring countries.

When Israel started its war on Gaza after Hamas attacked a concert in Israel on October 7, 2023, India launched a joint Air Force and Navy operation and rescued 1309 Indian nationals, 14 OCI (Overseas Citizenship of India) cardholders and 20 Nepalese citizens under Operation Ajay.

In this ongoing operation, the Ministry of External Affairs, GoI, has evacuated approximately 4,000 Indian citizens, including over 110 students, ever since Israel attacked Iran, sparking a war between the two nations.