INDIA AVENGES URI IN SURGICAL ASSAULT
Army conducts surgical strikes on 7 terror launch pads across LoC, but Pak denies it
In a direct military response to the Pakistani terror attack at Uri army base in Kashmir killing 18 soldiers on September 18, the Indian Army on Wednesday night conducted "surgical strikes" on the terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) inflicting "significant casualties" on those planning to infiltrate.
It was not immediately clear whether the troops crossed the Line of Control (LoC) guarded by armed personnel on both sides to target terrorists in the Pakoccupied Kashmir (PoK).
Pakistan denied any such strike and claimed it was actually an "unprovoked" crossborder firing in which its two soldiers were killed, described by its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as the "naked aggression of Indian forces," with a warning that his military was capable to thwart "any evil design to undermine the sovereignty of Pakistan."
Details of the Indian strike were announced by Director General Military Operations Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh at a hurriedly called rare joint media briefing by the Foreign and Defence Ministries. The briefing was held after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called an urgent meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security that includes the Defence, Home and Foreign Ministers.
Based on an information that a few terrorists were gathered around launch pads on Wednesday night, the Indian Army targeted them, the DGMO said, claiming that "heavy damages have been
caused to terrorists and many of them have been killed." He said India has ceased the operation and has no plans, as of now, for further strikes, even while the Indian armed forces are ready for any contingency. "India cannot allow terrorists to operate across the LoC (Line of Control) and strike with impunity .... I had spoken to the Pakistan DGMO and we expect the Pakistan Army to cooperate with us to eliminate the threat of terror," he said, adding that "the strikes were carried out based on specific and credible information." The Pakistan Army, however, denied any such surgical strike by India, claiming that the Indian Army had initiated "unprovoked" cross border firing, describing it as an "existential phenomenon," in which its two soldiers were killed and nine wounded. It said the firing was "strongly and befittingly responded by Pakistani troops." Its Inter-Service Public Relation (ISPR) spokesman said: "The notion of surgical strike linked to alleged terrorists bases is an illusion being deliberately generated by India to create false effects. This quest by the Indian establishment to create media hype by rebranding cross border fire as surgical strike is fabrication of truth. Pakistan has made it clear that if there is a surgical strike on Pakistani soil, the same will be strongly responded." It said the exchange of fire started at 02.30 am and continued till 08.00 am. A J&K police official said the Pakistan Army on Thursday violated the ceasefire agreement and resorted to indiscriminate firing along the LoC in north Kashmir''s Kupwara district. The firing took place at Danesh and Lakshmi posts in Naugam sector, he added. The Indian Army said Pakistan is guilty of "increasing infiltration by terrorists along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir" and that recently captured terrorists have confessed to their training and arming in Pakistan. Global positioning systems or GPS recovered from them established their firm Pakistani connect, the army said. The strikes the army spoke of today are the first major military action taken by India at the LoC after terrorists from Pakistan crossed into an army camp in Uri in Kashmir earlier this month and killed 18 soldiers before they were eliminated. Prime Minister Modi has already pledged that the attack will not go unpunished. Sources insisted that the "surgical strikes" were the only course left to prevent the terrorists slip into the Kashmir valley from the LoC as otherwise the political decision of the government is not to have a direct armed confrontation with Pakistan. In fact, India''s campaign against Pakistan is largely centered on diplomatically isolating it. In line with that strategy, the Prime Minister has said that he will not travel in November to Pakistan to attend the regional SAARC summit. Three other countries of the 8-member SAARC have joined India's boycott.