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Death of Tibetan Commando Offers Insight Into Little-Known Elite Indian Force

Yang Ming

   The violent death of a Tibetan commando soldier who belonged to an
   Indian special forces unit near the China-India border has provided the
   public with rare insight into the operations of a little-known elite
   force.

   Tibetan soldier Nyima Tenzin, 53, a company leader in the Special
   Frontier Force (SFF) under the Indian army, died in a land mine blast
   in late August, near the site of border tensions with Chinese troops.
   Another junior soldier was critically injured in the same explosion.

   Few details are publicly known about the covert force that was set up
   soon after a war between India and China in 1962. The Indian government
   hasn't published any official count of the size of the force, although
   some experts estimate its strength at around 5,000 to 10,000 men.

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