A surgical strike in military terms is an operation that is intended to take out a specific target, with no or limited collateral damage.
In Army’s terms, it is a fast operation carried out by a small unit, or it could be a well aimed missile. By the Air Force, it can be an aircraft targeting a single building or vehicle, as opposed to carpet bombing an area.
The strike across the LoC was reportedly carried out by Para Commandos and Ghatak platoons of the Indian Army. These are members of the Special Forces under the Parachute regiment who are trained specifically for such operations, and specialised teams part of infantry units. They are trained to parachute in to enemy territory and conduct precise missions, or to sneak in quietly across enemy lines.
Surgical strikes are the alternative to sending in troops and tanks, creating a situation that could escalate to full-blown war. Governments often deny them or deal with the aftermath diplomatically.
The mission to strike behind the LoC was actively monitored by senior officers in the army’s ‘operations room’ at the Ministry of Defence in South Block, sources told ..
They said Chief of Army Staff Gen Dalbir Singh himself was in the operations room on Wednesday night as Special Forces Para Commandos from the 4th and 9th Battalions of the Northern Command prepared for the assault that was launched around midnight. The operation concluded around 4.30 Thursday morning.
The sources said the commandos were air-dropped close to the LoC and they struck at seven terrorist launch pads around 2km to 3km inside Pakistan territory — across the LoC in the Poonch and Kupwara sectors.
The sources confirmed that the terrorists — who were planning strikes in Kashmir as well as several metros — suffered “significant casualties”. Although no details were released by the army, some reports said the number of terrorists killed was 38.
PM Modi had met the army and air force chiefs and the Vice Chief of the navy on Saturday, September 24. He also visited the operations room on Monday, September 26, the sources said, though it is not clear whether plan to launch the surgical strikes had been firmed up by then.
There have been a series of high-level meetings in the government following the terror attack in Uri earlier this month that killed 18 soldiers. India has blamed the terror attack on the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba.
