Army chief-designate Lieutenant General N C Vij on Sunday said that withdrawal of troops from the north-western borders was almost complete.

He was speaking on the golden jubilee celebrations of the Parachute Regiment of the army in Bangalore.

"We don't call it withdrawal, but relocating. Most of the troops have already been relocated to their base camps and the remaining are in the process of being sent back to their barracks. It is a time-bound programme," he said.

He also said that two Indian teams were in the United States and Israel, finalising arms deals.

Gen Vij, however, did not reveal the details of the weapons being purchased from these two countries.

On the occasion, he lauded the contribution of the regiment in the three wars that India fought against Pakistan since 1948. "The Parachute Regiment played a major role even in the 'Operation Vijay', which was conducted in the summer of 1999 to reclaim the Indian territories in Kargil and Drass sectors of Indo-Pak border by defeating the infiltrators from Pakistan," he said.

The Parachute Regiment, with 10 battalions under its command and located in key operational areas across the country, had a strategic role to play in the army, the general said.

"Its presence in many sensitive areas, including Jammu and Kashmir and north-eastern states to counter insurgency operations and prevent infiltration from across the border, has been an effective deterrent..." he said.

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