The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has successfully completed its first-ever all-women international mountaineering expedition to Mount Everest, marking a historic milestone in the Force’s mountaineering achievements. In a statement, the ITBP said the 14-member team, comprising 11 women climbers and three technical and support staff, summited the world’s highest peak on the 21st of this month via the South Col route from the Nepal side. The expedition was flagged off from ITBP headquarters on 19th April.

As part of its “Clean Himalaya–Save Glacier” campaign, the team also carried out environmental awareness activities and collected non-biodegradable waste from the Everest region.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah congratulated the team for unfurling the national flag atop Mount Everest. In a social media post, Mr Shah said that by achieving this remarkable feat in extreme terrain and harsh climatic conditions, the team has upheld the ITBP’s motto of “Nation Before Self.”

With this achievement, ITBP has now completed 232 mountaineering expeditions, including five successful Everest summits. The Force has also scaled six of the world’s 8,000-metre-plus peaks, including Everest, Kanchenjunga, Makalu, Lhotse, Dhaulagiri and Manaslu.