New Delhi: India carried out 'surgical strikes' on terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir last night, inflicting "significant casualties" on terrorists and those who are trying to support them.
The announcement of the sudden action by the Army was made on Thursday by the DGMO Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, 11 days after the terror strike by Pakistan-based terror outfit JeM on an Indian Army camp in Uri in Kashmir over which Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the attackers will not go "unpunished" and that the sacrifice of 18 jawans will not go in vain.
This is how the surgical strikes were conducted, according to several reports:
- Around 8 terrorist launch pads were targeted across different sectors
- Surgical strikes were carried out 2 to 3 kms inside Pakistan territory
- Strikes started past midnight and ended at 4:30 am on Thursday morning
- Massive casualties among terrorists, their guides and handlers, who were planning to attack Jammu and Kashmir and metro cities
- According to reports, 38 terrorists were killed along with 2 Pakistani soldiers in the Indian Army surgical strikes.
- The strikes were conducted after surveillance over a week
- Operation was a combination of heliborne and ground forces
A surgical strike is a swift attack undertaken by the military on specific targets with aims to neutralise them while ensuring minimum collateral damage to surrounding areas and civilians, and a subsequent return to primary positions.
These attacks can be carried out via air raids, airdropping special operation teams or a ground operation. All three Indian armed forces have their separate special ops teams. It requires detailed and extensive planning to carry out surgical strikes and achieve the objective. External intelligence is vital to carry out these strikes.
