Surgical Strikes

NEW DELHI: India carried out surgical strikes, targeting terrorist “launch pads” along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, the Indian Army announced on Thursday. The strikes were carried out in the early hours of Thursday, 10 days after terrorists killed 19 soldiers in an attack on an Army installation in Uri. “The operations were basically focused on ensuring that these terrorists do not succeed in their design of infiltration and carrying out destruction and endangering the lives of citizens of our country. During these counter-terrorist operations, significant casualties have been caused by the terrorists and those who were trying to support them,” Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh told the media. ‘Fully prepared’

                                                                                           “We do not have any plans for the further continuation of the operations. However, the Indian armed forces are fully prepared to deal with any contingency. I have just spoken to the Pakistani DGMO and expressed our concerns and also shared with him the operations we conducted last night,” said Lt. Gen. Singh. Pakistan, however, denied that surgical strikes had taken place. “Pakistani troops befittingly responded to Indian unprovoked firing on LoC in Bhimber, Hotspring, Kel and Lipa sectors. Exchange of fire which started at 0230 hrs after midnight continued till 0800 hrs,” the DG-ISPR of Pakistan army said in an online statement. However, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif announced that Indian soldiers “firing small arms” had killed two Pakistani soldiers and injured nine. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif described India’s actions as “unprovoked and naked aggression” and said, “Our intent for peaceful neighbourhood should not be mistaken as our weakness.”