New Delhi: Clearly signaling it was payback time for the September 18 Uri attack and continued Pakistan- supported terrorism, India, in first such action since Indian soldiers marched into Bangladesh in 1971, carried out surgical strikes on seven terror launch pads across the Line of Control.
The Army announced on Thursday that its special forces, in a series of well-coordinated surgical strikes on Wednesday night had inflicted "significant casualties" on terrorists preparing to infiltrate from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The raids on the intervening night of September 28 and 29 were conducted over a nearly five-hour-long operation during which heliborne and ground forces were deployed. In the strike at least 38 militants housed in seven to eight terror launch pads were killed.
The launch pads in PoK were in the range of 2 to 3km from the LoC and were under surveillance for over one week. Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the strikes targeted 5-6 places across the LoC along Kupwara and Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir. Naidu said there were no Indian casualties.
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While Pakistan has rubbished India's claim, it is reported that the strikes were recorded by cameras on drones and through helmet mounted cameras. The entire Special Forces unit was back at their base at about 4 AM Thursday morning loaded with evidence including photographs of the operation and military hardware seized from the killed militants. The surgical strike is a paradigm shift in India’s war against terror.
The announcement of the strike was made by the DGMO Ranbir Singh, 11 days after the strike by Pakistan-based terror outfit JeM on an Indian army camp in Uri in Kashmir over which PM Modi said the attackers will not go “unpunished” and that the sacrifice of 18 jawans will not go in vain.
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“Based on credible information which we received on Wednesday that some terrorist teams had positioned themselves at launch pads along the LoC with an aim to carry out infiltration and terrorist strikes in J&K in our country, the Indian army conducted surgical strikes last night at these launch pads,” Gen Singh said.
NOT A SKIRMISH: That the strikes were not mere skirmishes became somewhat evident with the US losing no time getting into the scene. After the operation, DGMO Ranbir Singh called up his Pakistani counterpart giving details of the operation inside PoK. The DGMO was directed to inform the Pakistani officer that the intention was not to target its Army or civilians but to merely hit militants who were planning to launch attacks against India.
