Colonel Vivek Chadha
New Delhi has proved that it has military capability to strike at targets across the LoC, which will have a cautionary effect on terrorists.
The counter-terrorist strikes undertaken by the Indian Army inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) are the most significant series of operations in the recent past. The strikes came about in the aftermath of a terrorist attack by four militants on an Army camp at Uri. The attack was clearly undertaken by the terrorists with support of state agencies in Pakistan, which can be assessed on the basis of the nature of operation.
The terrorists were carrying weapons with under-barrel grenade launchers with incendiary capability. This is usually not a weapon of choice of terrorists, unless it is specifically related to the nature of target.
In this case, the target was possibly available to the terrorists for a short duration, since an additional Army unit was deployed there temporarily. An assessment of the target as well as selection of an appropriate weapon is a specialised function of a military establishment, as was witnessed in Uri.
In light of the incident at Uri and the nature of support from the Pakistani establishment, a strike at the terrorist infrastructure across the LoC presented obvious challenges. This included building up for a strike on multiple terrorist launch pads across the LoC. While these are from a few hundred to a couple of kilometres beyond the LoC, yet gaining precise intelligence in the face of Pakistani regular forces immediately behind them is dangerous.
Also, given that the surgical strike took place shortly after the attack at Uri, the preparedness of the Pakistani forces was likely to be high.
The process of coordinating multiple and simultaneous strikes is very challenging, especially when this is conducted at large distances from each other. In addition, the capability to come unscathed after the same speaks volumes about the Army's professional capability.
The strike is unique as it is possibly the first time that India has officially claimed and accepted having conducted it across the LoC. This was not only announced through a joint press conference of the Army and the external affairs senior representatives, but also officially conveyed to the Pakistani Army Director of Military Operations.
The counter-terrorist strikes undertaken by the Indian Army inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) are the most significant series of operations in the recent past. The strikes came about in the aftermath of a terrorist attack by four militants on an Army camp at Uri. The attack was clearly undertaken by the terrorists with support of state agencies in Pakistan, which can be assessed on the basis of the nature of operation.
The terrorists were carrying weapons with under-barrel grenade launchers with incendiary capability. This is usually not a weapon of choice of terrorists, unless it is specifically related to the nature of target.
In this case, the target was possibly available to the terrorists for a short duration, since an additional Army unit was deployed there temporarily. An assessment of the target as well as selection of an appropriate weapon is a specialised function of a military establishment, as was witnessed in Uri.
In light of the incident at Uri and the nature of support from the Pakistani establishment, a strike at the terrorist infrastructure across the LoC presented obvious challenges. This included building up for a strike on multiple terrorist launch pads across the LoC. While these are from a few hundred to a couple of kilometres beyond the LoC, yet gaining precise intelligence in the face of Pakistani regular forces immediately behind them is dangerous.
Also, given that the surgical strike took place shortly after the attack at Uri, the preparedness of the Pakistani forces was likely to be high.
The process of coordinating multiple and simultaneous strikes is very challenging, especially when this is conducted at large distances from each other. In addition, the capability to come unscathed after the same speaks volumes about the Army's professional capability.
The strike is unique as it is possibly the first time that India has officially claimed and accepted having conducted it across the LoC. This was not only announced through a joint press conference of the Army and the external affairs senior representatives, but also officially conveyed to the Pakistani Army Director of Military Operations.
