Indian commandos strike terrorists inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir

 

Image from India Today.

Graphic from India Today.

The Indian military launched “surgical strikes” against Pakistani terrorists across the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir last night, killing “up to 38 terrorists and Pakistani soldiers,” according to India Today. The raids were based on “very specific and credible information that some terrorist units had positioned themselves to infiltrate” into the country, the Indian Army’s Director General of Military Operations said.

The raids were clearly designed to retaliate for the Sept. 17 attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed on an Indian Army base in Uri in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Seventeen Indian soldiers were killed in the deadly raid.

India Today provides a list of “all you want to know on the surgical strikes”; here are the top six items on the list:

1. DGMO Lt General Ranbir Singh said the strikes were launched on Wednesday night based on “very specific and credible information that some terrorist units had positioned themselves to infiltrate” into India.

2. The announcement followed a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had vowed to avenge Uri in an earlier tweet.

3. The operation lasted from 12.30 am to 4.30 am, with the location being 500 metres to 2 km from the LoC on the Pakistani side, sources in the Indian Army said.

4. Seven terror launch pads were destroyed by the commandos of the Army Special Forces, who were paradropped into the Pakistani territory by ALH Dhruv choppers.

5. The surgical strikes were recorded on cameras with drones also recording footage.

6. 2 Indian soldier was injured from landmines during the surgical strikes, the Army said. It also said it had no immediate plans of another such operation for now.

The Pakistan military’s Inter-Services Public Relations directorate (ISPR) denied that India launched “surgical strikes” against “alleged terrorist bases.” From the ISPR statement posted on its Facebook page:

There has been no surgical strike by India, instead there had been cross border fire initiated and conducted by India which is existential phenomenon. As per rules of engagement same was strongly and befittingly responded by Pakistani troops.

The notion of surgical strike linked to alleged terrorists bases is an illusion being deliberately generated by Indian to create false effects.This quest by 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, same will be strongly responded.

The Indian military has stated that it recorded the operation (see point number five in the list above), so it can easily refute Pakistan’s denial of a cross-border raid against the “alleged terrorist camps.”

While Pakistan denies the existence of terrorist camps on its soil, Syed Salahuddin, the leader of Hizb-ul-Muhajideen, a terrorist alliance that operates in Kashmir and includes groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, said in 2011 that the Pakistani military allows it to operate freely and run hundreds of training camps.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

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51 Comments

  • SPQR says:

    In my opinion, the actions by the Indian Army constitute a measured, reasonable response, to unbridled provocations by Pakistan against the Republic of India. The entire situation today may be traceable to ‘mujahideen’ actions ordered by M. A. Jinnah after England’s exit in 1947. Apparently, the rule of law is a meaningless concept to Pakistan whenever democratic processes go against their concepts of what should or should not occur. Self determination for the people of Kashmir, which Pakistan demands from India, would lead, if universally applied, to the disintegration not only of ‘India’ (or what remains of it), but of all of the artificial states that were created following the departure of England from the subcontinent and from the middle east, as well as owing to the defeat of powers that provided order in the latter geographic region following the so-called Great War. At some point in human history, people have to accept the status-quo and move on. If this kind of ‘limited’ warfare is allowed to continue, then there is a real risk of escalation, and a risk of India and Pakistan blowing each other up in a nuclear conflict whose devastating consequences would be global.
    Respectfully submitted.

  • Manix Appunni says:

    All the Pakistani army can do is deny. The Pakistan army consumes a lot of resources and in return they could not do anything. If they don’t deny the attack, it gives the Jihadi groups an opening to go on all our propaganda stating they need to have an Islamic state.

    With regards to tactical nukes, it will have to be detonated in their own territory which will be rendered uninhabitable for many many years. This strike proves it.

    Either ways they are screwed.

  • Observer says:

    Pakistan has been cultivating terrorists that attack India and Afghanistan. For last few years, US has been bombing terrorists in Pakistan, being trained for Afghan missions. It was high time that that India began working on eliminating terrorists in Pakistan that have been targetting Indian civilians and military at will.

  • Arjuna says:

    Why repeat the ISI’s lies? I suppose to highlight their perfidy and silly grammar.
    I always thought America would receive the first Paki nuke. Now, I’m not so sure.
    I hope we’re helping India with absolutely everything we have, even if our dips continue to act as if PK is not a state sponsor of terror.

  • Obeah says:

    Question: If you attack foreign soldiers are you a technically a terrorist? Answer: It depends on the status of your relationship with the West.

  • Amna Rizvi says:

    Pakistan has just released a video showing 8 dead and 2 injured/captured Indian soldiers. India has yet to release any footage.

  • Devendra K Sood says:

    Obeah, Your answer is rubbish and you know it. No one is a terrorist unless they attack civilians intentionally, kill others because they belong to other religion, kill because others will not follow their commands and are part of a non-Government group that is trained by that Government to go attack other country and it’s civilians……A narrow definition of a terrorist.

  • Devendra K Sood says:

    Pakistan left no choice for India. What would any other country do if it is a victim of unending, repeated attacks by terrorists raised, supported, nurtured and protected by it’s neighbor with the sole purpose to attack and destabilize you. It is hats off to the patience of India that it waited so long after Bombay massacre, attack on Pathankoat Air Base and then recently at Uri Army Base. Pakistn is a terrorist sponsor and only one country has the influence and leverage to put Pakistan in it’s place…… AMERICA. When would we Americans have the spine and the sense that Pakistan unchecked would cause a Nuke Exchange one day in the Indian Sub-Continent. STOP ALL AIDS TO PAKISTAN AND DECLARE IT A TERRORIST STATE. CUT IT OFF FROM ALL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS OF THE WORLD AND WATCH TERRORISM DIE OFF IN A VERY LARGE MEASURE. WE AMERICANS ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO CAN DO IT. AND, WE OWE IT NOT ONLY TO OURSELVES BUT THE WHOLE WORLD.

  • Debrus says:

    India has every right to strike terrorist groups along its border. The pakistanis have been complicit in aiding and abetting them international law only applies when Pakistan comes out on the short end and it’s about time something like this happened. Pakistan is an international supporter of terrorism.

  • Shrinivasrao S. Sohoni says:

    Bill Roggio of the LWJ is a dependable Analyst.
    India’s action was measured, focused, clinical in execution, and fully warranted.
    Pakistan has proved over and over again to be rogue-country with a crime syndicate ruling the roost in Army GHQs, Rawalpindi. It shall have to bear the responsibility for and the consequences of its chronic sponsorship of Terrorism, Extremism, and the Narcotics Trade.
    The US and its allies have done well in giving short shrift to Pakistan’s hypocritical protestations this time around.

  • Alok singh says:

    Chak De India

  • paarth says:

    Pak thrives on promoting instability in their neighbors. Afghan and India bear the brunt of their efforts. Much of the world’s problems with terrorism can be traced to their doorstep. I felt that after Bin Laden there was not enough effort to penalize Pak for their duplicity in sheltering him despite getting billions of dollars of western funding. So they continued to act with impunity. They felt encouraged that the costs of the duplicity were not too high. India just raised the cost bar. The surgical strike may yet provide the right feedback into Pak political system that they need to reign in their home grown terrorists and focus on domestic problems.

  • Uwe says:

    This was coming for the pakistanis. For 60 plus years Indians kept shouting about the terror activities of the pakistanis. But all we in the west did was to encourage pakistanis. I have met some really racist pakistanis here in Germany.
    The PM of India has proved that he is the bad ass statesman. Merkel should take a lesson from him.

  • Evan says:

    Good on India, and well done to their commando group. I hope that India will adopt a more aggressive posture and that this raid will be one of many many more to come. It is sorely needed and India can play a very positive, very important role in this regard.

    Pakistans “government,” not only refuses to lift a finger to stop terrorist attacks on Indian soil, I believe there is a wealth of evidence to support the allegation that they knowingly and willfully encourage such terrorist attacks. The Pakistani government is wholly complicit in these actions, they support, enable, equip, fund, and even provide training to the terrorist groups responsible for a litany of criminal terrorist offenses, all over the world. They provide safe havens to the “good Taliban,” who in turn provide support, supplies, and safe havens to AQ, the Haqqanis, TIP, LET, you name it. They pretend to go after the “bad Taliban,” in places like South Waziristan, trumpet a bunch of made up, completely fictitious stats to Pakistani media outlets; the ones who are owned and controlled by the state, or prominent members thereof. The complicit Pakistani media then writes up fake reports and news stories, the contents of which are impossible to verify, and then disseminates these falsehoods, to appease some percentage of their own domestic audience as well as western officials and politicians, in an effort to ensure that the money keeps coming in.

    How long did it take the Pakistani gov./military to finally launch a supposedly serious and porportedly decisive operation to eliminate the terrorists operating completely unhindered in South Waziristan?
    Years.
    They complained and whined about a lack of manpower, inadequate equipment, insufficient funding, etc. All in a bid to secure more foreign aid for their “military,” more money to line the pockets of their elites, and of course, more time for their friends to make the appropriate arrangements and contingencies when the time came.

    They launched “Zarb E Azb,” and in short order declared it to be an overwhelming success. An overwhelming success that did not kill or capture a single terrorist leader. An overwhelming success that accomplished nothing, and was an outright farce.

    Pakistan is an Al Qeada ally. Pakistan IS the Taliban. Pakistan is the enemy of the free world. Pakistan should be forcefully declared an enemy of the United States, congress should declare war on them, and all allied nations should either follow suit, or ally themselves with Pakistan.
    They should be completely cut off from any and all foreign aid, from any nation, and they should be totally removed from the global financial system. Pakistan should be black listed from every facet of trade/economy.
    Anyone caught doing business with them should face the same.
    Every airport/airfield should be bombed, and no flights should be allowed in or out of the country.

    We don’t even need to send in any troops.
    The Pakistani government and economy are in shambles as it is, just a little nudge in the right direction will send the whole thing over the cliff.
    All we’d have to do is maintain the restrictions, enforce them aggressively, and watch as the people of Pakistan turn on themselves, on their government, on their elites, and very rapidly begin to eat each other.

    Hungry people don’t stay hungry for long.

    If we had any brains, if our “leaders,” had any clue, if we were serious and truly dedicated to utterly destroying the scourge of terrorism, and permanently wiping it off the face of the Earth, this is what we would do.

    It’s the incredibly sad truth that none of this will happen until the Pakistanis give a nuclear weapon to one of their proxies, and hundreds of thousands of innocents die. It WILL happen, it’s only a matter of when, not if….

  • TonyValachi says:

    For Pakistan admitting the surgical strikes would have been an admission of guilt, it would have vindicated India’s stand that Pakistan is a terror sponsoring nation, so Pakistan had no option but to deny it.

  • Rosario says:

    It is good to finally see India more assertive.

  • Rehan Alam says:

    Few questions that were not answered by the Indian DGMO and indian let their media to do the propaganda because when the truth will be out they will say we didnt claim any operation inside Pakistan. Long war journal which has been mostly neutral need to raise following question?
    1. LOC is not like any other international border. There are troops at every km and at some point every 100 metre. The minimum distance between some of the indian and pakistani post is 75 metre and are at shouting distance. How can indian enter 2 km inside pakistan at such a volatile border without being noticed. Even if they entered how can they stay inside for 4 hours?
    2. When even pigeons are captured on LOC, how can big helicopter and drone was not noticed by Pakistan army for full four hours?
    3. The only idea of having camps just within 2 Km of LOC is ridiculous, what is basis of indian claim in this.
    4. How do these launch pads looks like and how they work. Are they like some missile pads?
    5. what were 38 people doing at LOC at one night. one or two people are acceptable but a full party infiltrating inside India is ridiculous. Looks like LOC is some kind of joke where in one night so many people can assemble and try to infiltrate.

  • suraj saha says:

    Hats off to the commandos.we won’t put up with such filthy things. It’s time to make it equal.Carry on guys.Congrats!

  • A nice step taken by our Prime Minister. Pakistan will get a good taste of Indian army’s strength.

  • Neil says:

    I congratulate the Indian commandos on this operation. If not anything, it has a symbolic and a mental victory and reassures the new governments resolve to fight back. The Pakistani intelligence, their army and the terrorists would have least expected it and thats where it goes to show the amount of planning that went into making this operation successful. In general, I was also surprised seeing the army and the foreign office acknowledging the operation and it is a welcome and positive change. On the negative side, it was disheartening (and reckless) to quote the Pakistani defense minister saying they wouldn’t hesitate to use nuclear weapons on India if they felt they can’t conventionally fight.

    It is time, the entire world especially the west, come out in support of India and isolate Pakistan. Their duplicity stands exposed and they know it too.

    The United States, India and Israel should join hands towards greater military and strategic co-operation and possibly plan a detailed joint operation to take out the “pakistani nukes” that gives the ISI this sense of false security to continue supporting the “Lashkars”.

  • Reuben says:

    @Obeah:

    Seriously? That’s what you take away from this?

    That Indian strikes which “happen” to kill uniformed Pakistan military who “happen” to be in direct contact and proximity with internationally sanctioned but Pakistan state-sponsored para-military terrorist groups who “happen” to be located right next to the very tense and militarised border less than 2 weeks after similar militants “happen” to have struck said neighbour is terrorism?

    Again: seriously?

  • L.Sreeram says:

    salute to army,navy and airforce of india.

  • David Eliezer says:

    Answer: Terrorists attack civilians, not soldiers. It is not entirely surprising that this distinction has escaped you.

  • RAJAT KUMAR says:

    It’s a great job by our commandoes
    I am felling very happy.. .and salute our shoulders.. Badla fulfil go gaya mere yaaro.. ..

  • vishal S. bulbule says:

    India should have been doing this since 1994. If we speak in cricket language, India kept batting but they remained on the score of zero since twenty years. And suddenly they opened their account on 29th of September with a chiki single. India should accelerate too.

  • If you attack face to face in legal break out of war. Here terrorist come and when they are killed parent country deny that they are not their citizens.

  • Arjuna says:

    A surgical strike against the GHQ in Rawalpindi would have been a much more decisive measure. But that can only be done w China’s blessing, and we don’t have the diplomatic chops for that.

  • Arjuna says:

    They got Scuzzball Shukri and Fatso Gadahn (the former by accident), but the overall operational effect was to sweep the cockroaches from one side of the porous non-border to the other.
    ISI still has links to AQSL and I’ll eat this laptop if they don’t know where Ayman Al Zawahiri is.

  • kaushik paul says:

    Nice work indian comandos…….proud of u guys….. ….

  • Sebastian Kapoor says:

    Pakistan is a Cancer for the Whole World.
    Pkus, Genius, India did strikes on the terrorist launch pads in POK.

    Now if Paki Army personals are in the Terrorist launch pads, watching animal porn with the Terrorists, then it’s not India’s affair to carry.

  • Sebastian Kapoor says:

    The old government wouldn’t have done nothing, but thank goodness, this new Modi Government has changed that.

  • T.Paul says:

    1.Pakistan says there was no surgical operations inside Pakistan; then how can be Indian
    soldiers photo appeared. Is there any logic in it.

  • BigDaddy says:

    LOL happy Indians and copy/paste analysts. UN mission concluded “there is no evidence of surgical strikes as claimed by India” and so called fact is also not confirmed to be correct by USA. Now Google is your best friend, do the research.

  • Sebastian Kapoor says:

    1st QUESTION :——

    LOC is not like any other international border. There are troops at every km and at some point every 100 metre. The minimum distance between some of the indian and pakistani post is 75 metre and are at shouting distance. How can indian enter 2 km inside pakistan at such a volatile border without being noticed. Even if they entered how can they stay inside for 4 hours??

    ANSWER :——

    Firstly, the LOC is longer than the longest river in the world i.e Nile…….!!!!!!!

    Secondly, You need to see, how treacherous the Terrain is…..!!!!!

    Thirdly, why don’t you ask your Coward Army General, as to how the Paki Terrorists Infiltrate into Kashmir !!!!

    Fourthly, erecting fences and building concrete walls can make infiltration difficult, but not impossible.

    2nd QUESTION :——

    When even pigeons are captured on LOC, how can big helicopter and drone was not noticed by Pakistan army for full four hours??

    ANSWER :——

    (…. next time, the Indian Army will knock on your door, before carrying out any strikes…Lol…)

    Anyways, I will start with an example :–
    You are living in a big house and for protection, you have some security guards as well..

    Your house gets Robbed, despite of all the security measures you had taken.
    So Nincompoop, will you ask the robbers, as to how did they manage to sneak-up in your house OR will you ask your Security Guards, as to how did they fail to detect the robbers ??

    SO, WHO’S JOB IS TO PROTECT PAKISTAN, INDIAN ARMY OR PAKISTAN ARMY ????….. Lol…..

    Well, people with even little bit of common sense, would ask the very People, Who’s Job Is To Protect Pakistan……..!!!!!!

    But then again, pakis are all devoid of Common sense, do you can be excused…

    Remember, Osama Bin Laden Raid zip Abbottabad ????
    23 US Navy Seals, entered Paki Airspace and killed Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad.
    The House where the raid took place, was hardly 1 KM Away from Pakistan’s Largest Military Base….!!!!!!!
    And the Seals were there for 40 odd minutes…..!!!!!

    Well, Pakistan’s Forces failed to detect Black Hawks in their Air space.
    Plus, the Paki Military was just a KM away, and still they weren’t even aware of the raid.

    And Again You Pakis Did, What You Always Do i.e DENY…..!!!!!!!

    Instead of questioning the Paki Military, you prefer to DENY EVERYTHING, which obviously the world is aware of.
    Today the world knows about indefinite LIES AND DENIES.

    3rd QUESTION :——

    The only idea of having camps just within 2 Km of LOC is ridiculous, what is basis of indian claim in this. ??

    ANSWER :——

    OMG….!! You All Are Unbelievably DUMB…

    The only ridiculous thing is, you and your dumb questions.
    I don’t think any country can even stand against against Pakistan, when it comes to STUPIDITY….!!
    No offense, but I had to again make you realize about the unadulterated stupidity, every pakis possess.

    So Genius, the Indian Army carried out Surgical strikes on “TERRORIST LAUNCH PADS”, NOT ON “TERRORIST CAMPS”………….!!!!!!!!!!!!!…

    TERROR LAUNCH PADS : You don’t even have the common sence of a 6 year old kid.

    Terror Launch Pad : As the NAME SUGGESTS , It’s a Launch PAD, not a Terrorist camp and launch pads are supposed to be near the Target, which in this case was, the LOC…..!!!!!
    Hence, the Launch Pads were near the LOC…

    No wonder, Pakistan is in shambles. A country will be as good /bad as it’s people and if 99% population of a country is having Depleted Mental Ability, then that country will be exactly like, what Pakistan is today…..!!

    As for your 4th question, I am sure, you can figure it out as you are a Genius.

  • Sebastian Kapoor says:

    Good, but that video is only for the people of Pakistan, not for the Rest of the world.

    See, you saw that video and you are convinced that your Army Killed so and so Indians.

    Well, the image of Paki army remains Intact (intact among the Awaam of Pakistan) and that is it.
    Mission Accomplished….!!

    It’s just that, Normal People would question the ISI & ARMY as to why haven’t they given the video to the MEDIA ALL OVER THE WORLD….!!

    But you don’t need to worry, as you people are not TOM, DICK AND HARRY, BUT PAKIS, THE ONE & ONLY FABLED SPECIES.

  • DipC says:

    There must have been something which non military people like you and me will never understand. Something very serious has happened, is what I am trying to say. To declare unilaterally that someone went into a foreign land with guns drawn (mind you they are not Americans) can be a very risky affair. I am sure they have the footage recorded else the entire leadership wouldn’t have said what they are saying and I am not talking about the media. Stay in denial at your peril !

  • Ash says:

    Pakistan denies even attack
    Saying there was no attack
    And you are saying Pakistani soldier with uniform?
    They were terrorist with Pakistan uniform. And they work for Pakistan on unofficial
    Payrolls. You are right in one sense they are Pakistan but not soldier they were terrorist

  • Anmol William says:

    Great job Indian Army……Salute to Army,Navy and Airforce of india.

  • Mukki says:

    One can observe the Defense Minister and the Army Chief watching the surgical strike real time, on the TV. And I’m sure the US would have captured it by their satellites.
    The point to note is for the Western Countries, USA and Europe, that you are raising potential terrorists in your backward when you give Immigration Visas to the gentry from Islamic countries. You see it happening in France, UK, USA. Just ban their Immigration.
    Any individual who puts his Religion above his Nation is a potential Traitor!

  • Arjuna says:

    Sit down Paki lover. Your pro-terrorist propaganda is not welcome here. There is some confusion as to how the commandos were inserted (airdrop, helos or hike-in), but no confusion that ISI camps were hit.

  • DipC says:

    Now we see a Sharif vs Sharif encounter happening; all of a sudden Senators and MPs are talking about international isolation; talking about putting a chain around LeT and JeM leadership. Why ? It’s the product of the recently concluded UN session where Pakistan was roundly bashed getting no support even from the ‘Iron Brother’ and and of course the icing on the cake, the ‘SStr’. Denial again ? Ask SP Mirpur, Ghulam Akbar.

  • Obeah says:

    I agree with your definition. That’s why I object to Pak militant proxies who attack Indian soldiers being called terrorists.

  • Observer says:

    Your comment proves that you know very little about Kashmir. The so-called “Pak militant proxies” killed, raped and drove away millions of Hindu civilians from Kashmir. Then they launched campaings to kill Muslim civilians who did not support them. If these do not constitute as terrorists then, I guess you must have graduated from ISIS University of Peace.

  • Observer says:

    If you are unaware of the genocide of Kashmiri Hindu civilians and Kashmir Mulims who opposed the Pak-propped up terrorists then it just shows your inorance about Kashmir conflict.

  • Observer says:

    Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are global centers for terrorist training. Unfortunately US continues to support both these countries (may be because of selfish interests of certain politicains).

  • Observer says:

    It is really surprising that Bin Laden lived a stone’s throw away from Pak military headquarters in a large conspicuous mansion, and the US government does not accept that Pakistani government and military were well-aware of Laden’s stay in their backyard. Even more surprising is how ordinary US citizens do not question their government’s illogical stand and willing drink of the kool-aid handed out to them by powerful politicians who have an vested interest in proping up Pakistani military.

  • Observer says:

    Bin Laden lived in a large luxurious conspicusous mansion waking distance away from Pakistani Military Headquarters. Yet the “leaders”, bureaucrats, “strategic think-tanks” and presstitutes of US continue to tell us that Pakistani military and government were unaware of his whereabouts.

  • Observer says:

    Yes. It is a welcome change.

  • David Eliezer says:

    I am aware, that is why I said what I said.

  • Sebastian Kapoor says:

    Distinction between Terrorists and Army, doesn’t exactly apply in the case of Pakistan, because in the case of Pakistan, PAKI MILITARY, ISI, LASHKAR-E-TAIBA, LASHKAR-E-JHANGVI, TALIBAN, HAQQANI Group, Jamaat-e-Islami, etc Are All ONE…..!!!!!

    Terrorists are simply an extension of the Pak Army.

    So many times, Pakistani Soldiers, wearing the attire of Terrorists Have crossed borders, and attacked India.

  • Tejal Dixit says:

    There are no Indian soldiers who are called terrorists. India neutralizes those terrorist and their supporters who only attack unarmed or innocent people.

Iraq

Islamic state

Syria

Aqap

Al shabaab

Boko Haram

Isis