1988 Maldives coup attempt

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1988 Maldives coup d'état attempt
Part of Indian Intervention in the Sri Lankan civil war
Indian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 planes like this one were used in Cactus. (This image was taken at an unrelated location in Hawaii, United States decades after 1988.)
Date 3 November 1988 Location Maldives, Indian Ocean Result Indian/Maldivian government victory Coup failed
Belligerents
India Maldives	People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam Maldivian rebels
Commanders and leaders
R. Venkataraman Rajiv Gandhi Vice-Admiral S.V.V. Gopalachari Brigadier Farouk Bulsara Colonel Subhash Joshi Maumoon Abdul Gayoom	Uma Maheswaran  Wasanti †  Abdullah Luthufi (POW)  Sagaru Ahmed Nasir (POW)  Ahmed Ismail Manik Sikka (POW)
Strength
500 Indian paratroopers Maldivian National Security Service	80–100 gunmen
Casualties and losses
19 killed (8 NSS), 39 injured (18 NSS). 4 hostage killed, 3 hostage unaccounted for	Several mercenaries were killed and some were captured. 27 hostage taken, 20 were retrieved. 4 killed and the other 3 unknown.

The 1988 Maldives coup d'état attempt was by a group of Maldivians led by businessman Abdullah Luthufi and assisted by armed mercenaries of a Tamil secessionist organisation from Sri Lanka, the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), to overthrow the government in the island republic of Maldives. The attempt was thwarted with Indian assistance in Operation Cactus.