India’s latest surgical strikes in response to Uri attacks against Pakistani terrorists were carried out by commandos of 4 Para SF and 9 Para SF who crossed the LoC at the Tutmari Gali area in the Nowgam sector of Kupwara sometime after midnight, and Balnoi and Nangi Tekri in the Poonch area, respectively.
But what was alarming is that during the destruction of the seven terror launch pads by 70-80 commandos, IAF attack helicopters were kept ready at four bases with troops at standby in J&K to address any contingency – including a sudden start of a war.
According to IAF sources reported by Zittara, Mi-35 attack helicopters were kept in a state of readiness, although their bases had no prior information about the impending ground operation.
Meanwhile travelling a distance of between 1-3 km, the Para commandos reached their designated targets by foot, and by 2 am, started destroying the launch pads using shoulder-fired Carl Gustav 84mm rocket launchers and automatic grenade launchers.
Extensive helicopter movement during the previous day was also undertaken as part of the plan to feign enhanced military activity in areas where operations were not being launched.
Having destroyed the launch pads, the para commandos started moving back to the Indian side of the LoC when one of them received a minor injury from a mine blast. The injury, official Army sources said, was not on account of any enemy or terrorist action. All the Para SF teams had returned to the Indian side of the LoC by 4.30 am Thursday and the operation, which had not been given any code name, was officially called off at 8 am.
The forces deployed along the LoC continue to remain in the state of “highest alert”. Also, the rumours that the leave of soldiers under the Northern Command had been cancelled were rubbished.
Pakistan had responded by denying that the surgical strikes took place although its Army said that two of its soldiers had been killed in firing.
Let whatever Pakistan say, one thing is very much clear here, if there is an Indo-Pak war again, there will not be any Pakistan…
