Indian army, one cowardly almost in retreat (4)

I believe the answer is:

sena

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'indian army' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

I can't explain the rest of the clue.

(Other definitions for sena that I've seen before include "Indian army" , "Indian military" , "Paramilitary army in India" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times and The Sunday Times.

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