2nd batch of Indian military troops left Maldives: Prez Muizzu

Male: Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu said on Saturday that the second batch of Indian military personnel, which manned a helicopter India gifted to the country, had left the nation as he demanded, PTI reported.

He was speaking during an election campaign for the ruling People's National Congress party as parliamentary elections are scheduled for April 12.

"The first team has already gone. Now, on April 9, the soldiers on the second platform have also been withdrawn," the president said.

He has been demanding the withdrawal of foreign soldiers from Maldives since election campaigns last year.

The pro-China leader Muizzu stated that foreign ambassadors in Male will not wield authority over him since ultimate power rests with the citizens. In March, he had alleged that the president before him, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, operated on the orders from a "foreign ambassador". But he did not name any country.

Earlier, Muizzu had set March 10 as the deadline for the withdrawal of the first group of Indian military troops from Maldives. Under an agreement between Maldives and India in February, New Delhi agreed to replace the Indian military personnel stationed in Maldives to oversee the operations of the military aircraft the country has gifted with trained civilians also from India.

Muizzu also said the Indian soldiers on the last aviation platform would also leave the Maldives before the May 10 deadline set by him, and that would mark the fulfilment of his pledge to remove Indian soldiers from the island nation.

"There is only one platform left. As the two countries have already signed, they [the remaining Indian military personnel] will also be recalled ahead of May 10. They will leave," the president said.