MALE: Pro-China President of Maldives, Mohamed Muizzu’s election win last year hinged in large part on a pledge to reduce India’s political clout in the country.
The Maldives has said India withdrew more than half of its troops deployed in its territory ahead of a Friday deadline, as the strategically located archipelago strengthens ties with China.
The Maldives, known as a luxury tourist destination with its white sand beaches, also straddles key east-west international shipping routes.
After coming to office he vowed to disband a garrison of 89 Indian soldiers deployed to patrol the maritime boundary of the nation, made up of 1,192 tiny coral islands scattered around 800 kilometers (500 miles) across the equator.
A spokeswoman for Muizzu told reporters in the capital Male that 51 Indian military personnel had left by Monday. “As of now, 51 soldiers stationed at two platforms have been repatriated,” Heena Waleed said on Monday night.
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