Surgical Strike anniversary: How jawans destroyed terror launchpads

PM Modi, during his 69th edition of the ‘Mann ki Baat’ monthly radio programme yesterday, reminded everyone how the world witnessed the ‘courage, bravery and valour’ of Indian soldiers in 2016.

Four years ago, army conducted a surgical strike across the Line of Control (LoC) as a response to a terrorist attack on an Indian Army base in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir earlier that month that claimed the lives of 19 jawans.

Recalling the bravery of these soldiers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his 69th edition of the ‘Mann ki Baat’ monthly radio programme yesterday, said, “Four years ago, around this time, the world witnessed the courage, bravery and valour of our soldiers during the surgical strike. Our brave soldiers had just one mission and goal — to protect the glory and honour of mother India at any cost.”

As India observes the fourth anniversary of the surgical strikes today, here's how the jawans destroyed terror launchpads:

In a well-calibrated operation, on the intervening night of September 28-29, 2016, the Indian Army moved across the LoC and smashed four terror launch pads that were under the guard of a Pakistani post located 700 metres from the LoC.

Since 2018, India has been observing September 29 as the ‘surgical strike day’ to mark the “valour and patriotism” of Indian troops.

“They did not care for their lives, at all. They kept moving on the line of duty and we all witnessed how they returned victoriously. They made mother India proud,” PM Modi added in his address yesterday.

The Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was severely hit in the cross-LoC surgical strikes on the launch pads with assessment reports of radio intercepts indicating that around 20 of its militants were killed.

(With agency inputs)