One year of surgical strike: How Indian Army avenged Uri terror attack

On the intervening night of September 28 and 29 in 2016, the Indian Army conducted a surgical strike on terror launch pads in Pakistan. The operation that went on for over five hours not only dealt a massive blow to terrorists planning major attacks in India, it also avenged the Uri attack where 17 Army personnel were killed.

It might be debatable as to what India achieved in one year since the surgical strike, but it nevertheless asserted India’s stand of not taking things lying down when it came to national security and Indian armed forces. Reports say that there has been a spike in the number of ceasefire violations since then, but Pakistan has even in the past not refrained from unprovoked firing along the Line of Control.

Lest we forget, here’s a recap of the coveted military operation that cemented Indian army and government’s position on the national security:

# On September 29, DGMO Lt General Ranbir Singh announced that India had conducted a surgical strike on terror pads across the Line of Control using ground forces, inflicting “significant casualties” on terrorists and those supporting them.

# The strike was conducted on the intervening night of September 28 and 29 between 12.30 am and 4.30 am on the basis of credible information about some terror units positioning themselves to infiltrate into India.

# The operation was conducted between 500 metres to three kilometres across the Line of Control.

# Commandoes of Army special forces were para dropped into the Pakistani territory by ALH Dhruv helicopters.

# A book on the surgical strike later revealed that the Army had decided to use soldiers from the units that had suffered losses during the Uri attack.

# A Ghatak platoon was formed to provide crucial terrain intelligence and man border posts.

# According to the Army Major who led the mission later said that the most difficult part was the return of soldiers after the surgical strike as bullets fired by Pakistani soldiers were whistling past the ears of our men.

# The operation was monitored from New Delhi by then defence minister Manohar Parrikar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and then Army chief General Dalbir Singh.

# Following the announcement of the strike, a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after which he called an all-party meet and briefed then President Pranab Mukherjee.

# Pakistan, however, denied any surgical strike by India. It had, instead, said that unprovoked firing by India had killed two of its soldiers.