The two warships, the destroyer INS Ranjit and offshore patrol vessel INS Suvarna, were sent to Mozambique as part of a "force and capability projection exercise," the Times of India newspaper said quoting an unidentified official.

The Ranjit has a twin-mount 76 millimetre gun and missile launchers while the Suvarna is an armed large patrol craft.

"The ships will be at the Mozambique government's disposal and strengthen its force in ensuring security for the second summit of heads of African nations at Maputo," the official said.

The report said Mozambique's President Joaquim Chissano had sought the Indian navy's assistance for providing "coastal security cover" for the summit during talks with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee while he was on a visit there in May.

India has sent troops to several African countries as part of United Nations peacekeeping missions.

But the current operation was the first of its kind, with Chissano saying the Indian ships were being sought to protect Mozambique as well as African leaders during the summit, the report said.

The AU replaced the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) set up in the 1960s with the main objective of securing Africa's political independence.

WAR.WIRE