Army strikes terror camps in PoK

[Aditya G]

https://www.thequint.com/amp/story/life ... al-strikes

At the Corps Headquarters, Lt Gen Dua had skipped lunch in anticipation of Maj Tango’s arrival. At 1530 hours, the Cheetah landed at the 15 Corps’ helipad. Maj Tango was led straight to the operations room. Waiting for him at the door was his CO.

‘Chhote!’

‘Sir!’

The two men hugged, slapping each other on the back, pulling back, and regarding each other wordlessly. Both knew what had just happened. There was no need for small talk.

Emerging from within the operations room was the Corps Commander, Lt Gen Dua. The no-nonsense General had a broad smile on his face as he approached the two officers. Maj Tango straightened up immediately, saluting the senior officer.

'Could We Get Some Food Please?'

As the Major and Lieutenant General shook hands, a waiter appeared, bearing a tray with glasses half-filled with the rich amber of Black Label whisky.

‘Bring the bottle,’ the General ordered the waiter, ‘these men eat glasses’—a fact Maj Tango confirms as being true. The waiter disappeared, quickly reappearing with a full bottle of Black Label. Lt Gen Dua grabbed the bottle, ordered Maj Tango to open his mouth, and began pouring.

Then Maj Tango, a full five ranks junior to the three-star officer, returned the favour. It was only after the officers had had a chance to recover from the well-earned whisky celebration that an operational debrief took place.

Maj Tango was now the secret centrepiece of the Indian military’s modern history. An Army Dhruv helicopter arrived at the Srinagar Corps headquarters a few hours later, flying him straight to Udhampur, the headquarters of the Army’s Northern Command. There, he would meet Lt Gen Deependra Singh Hooda, the officer who vetted the final targeting options, before they were presented to the Army Headquarters and government.

More whisky followed – Maj Tango and his men hadn’t eaten for a whole day. In his mind, he remembers thinking, ‘Koi khaana de do. Saare daaru pila rahe hain (Could we get some food too, please? Everyone’s giving us only alcohol).’

In January 2017, five men from the three teams were decorated with the Shaurya Chakra, while 13 received Sena Medals for gallantry during the assaults. The COs of the two Para-SF units involved were awarded Yudh Seva Medals for their planning and leadership from Srinagar during the operation.

Maj Tango went on to receive the highest decoration of the lot — a Kirti Chakra. His citation read:

By his decisive thinking, professional approach, warrior ethos, exemplary leadership, and courage beyond the call of duty, Maj Mike Tango ensured the execution of the task flawlessly with clockwork precision, and eliminated four terrorists in close quarter combat.

Life changed drastically for Maj Tango after the surgical strikes. ‘Life has changed completely. It’s more restricted now. But I cannot stop being an SF officer. That’s who I am,’ Maj Tango says, referring to his inevitable status as a ‘person of interest’ for Pakistan and the terror groups his men smashed on the intervening night of 28–29 September.

.....

More at the link .........

[Aditya G]

Nitin Gokhale brings out difference b/w Surgical Strikes and other Trans-LC ops very well.

http://nitinagokhale.blogspot.ie/2017/0 ... o-its.html

India needs to punch according to its own weight

Swarajya magazine interviewed me on eve of the publication of my book Securing India The Modi Way: Pathankot, Surgical strikes and more, to be released on 29 September. Here are some excerpts

Rishabh (Swarajya magazine): So, my first question to you is that your book is rather curiously titled ‘Securing India the Modi Way’, what the title implies to me is that there has been a clear departure from the management of India’s security apparatus, pre- and post Modi, how radical has this departure been?

Nitin Gokhale (NG): Well, yes, certainly your assessment is right that the title implies that there has been a major change in the way the national security is handled by the Modi Govt. and the difference is: In many ways it is more robust, more muscular, it is predicated on the fact that India being the rising power needs to punch according to its weight. There are instances that have happened in the last three, three and half years now, in forty months which bear testimony to what the Modi government has done as far as the national security is concerned. Therefore the title. The book includes not just various operations but the fundamental changes that have been brought in to management of national security.

Rishabh: Okay, could you give any examples of certain incidents that have struck your eye?

NG: Yes, in fact they all feature--at least two or three of those examples--in the book but the prominent one, the biggest one is India’s approach towards China and I’ve called that chapter ‘Standing up to China’, because if you look at some of the incidents that have happened at the border, be it in Chumar in 2014, when President Xi Jinping was in fact in India and the way India handled the stand-off at the border, then at Dolam, which is popularly being called as Doklam, which is the Chinese name, the Dolam plateau crisis in recent months, in which the underlying theory or the underlying principle in handling that crisis was that India will be resolute on the border but reasonable in diplomacy. Now that is something which is a major departure, which I think the world over people have come to recognize as far as dealing with China is concerned that you’re looking at Chinese which is as a nation, China as a military power, as an economic power is much bigger than India but Modi as Prime Minister and his security team led by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval have decided that you can’t let China bully India, you have to stand firm at various places and at the same time do not treat China as the enemy. It is a challenger, it is an adversary but India is not exactly pining for a fight, is what India’s response has been as far as China is concerned and that to me is a major departure from past.

Rishabh: You refer to Mr. Modi’s robustness in terms of the security apparatus. Last year saw the much touted cross border strikes which were heralded as the great personal triumph of the PM, was this option open to previous governments too?

NG: Oh well yes, if you speak to military commanders which I often do, these options were always on the table, that the military, the army especially has always looked at it as one of the options and you speak to former chiefs or former army commanders in Northern Command which looks after the Pakistan border, they’ll tell you that there were some shallow raids, some cross-border raids in the past. Nobody is denying that. The difference between those raids and what happened on 29th September 2016 is the fact that it was the first time such a raid was owned by the PM, it was authorized personally by the PM in consultation with his security team which included the Defence Minister, the National Security Advisor and the Army Chief and which was then not only publicly announced but authorized as I said by the PM but owned. So, there was big gamble, both political and military gamble with this because if something had gone wrong in the raid, India would’ve been shamed. It is this gamble that previous PMs did not want to take. Their approach was: if you want to raid, do a cross-border raid in Pakistan or POK, go ahead, but don’t tell us. {Dont ask dont tell }

Rishabh: Okay, so, speaking of this personal political gamble what reaction would PM Modi would’ve expected from the world and Pakistan after the strike, what were the different types of reactions do you recon would’ve played-out in his head?

NG: Well, you know I detail that in the book. India factored in a kind of escalation even if it seemed remote at that time, they had factored in, India’s security managers had factored in a likely escalation or retaliation from Pakistan and had sort of prepared for any eventuality including a wider conflict but that didn’t happen and Pakistan went completely quiet and in a denial mode was because it was stunned in to silence because they did not expect, the Pakistan establishment and the Pakistanis Army did not expect this to happen. Going by the reactions and the radio chatter and the kind of movements that happened in the PoK, one can very firmly surmise that tactical raids and they were tactical raids--they were seven points in which the raids took place but across the wide frontier of about 250 KM from Uri north of Pir Panjal to Naushera, South of Pir Panjal-- simultaneous raids actually had a strategic impact.

Rishabh: Mr Doval has been known as the point person for Mr. Modi on security aspects, what has been your assessment of him in the role of NSA? His role in Pathankot for instance.

NG: Pathankot forms a major chapter in my book, in which I bust many myths that were built, many misconceptions that were built around that attack and the role or no role that Ajit Doval as the NSA had played in preventing the attack. If you go through what I’ve written I have said that it was because of a proactive approach adopted under the leadership of the NSA, that India did not lose any of the vital strategic assets i.e. aircraft, the missiles, the ammunition dump and neither was any hostage situation allowed to be developed on that big campus which is the Pathankot Airbase which has about 2000 Acres of area and had 10,000 civilians living on that campus., you should compare that kind of an attack in our neighbourhood, in Afghanistan where the US airbase was attacked or in Pakistan twice or in Sri Lanka there were huge damages to aircraft, missiles and the infrastructure. In this case, yes, India did lose seven brave men but those were because of circumstances or lack of information on ground at that point in time but there was only one combat fatality really in chasing the terrorists. So, it was proactive intelligence wise and proactive combat wise. Because of this I think Pathankot is a bigger success, contrary to what people believe or say.

Rishabh: Could you briefly outline how the overall decision making within the security establishment works, like what are our strong points or the chinks in our armour?

NG: See, there’s nothing as good which can’t bettered in any circumstances but what has happened in last three, three and half years is that there’s a lot of proactive measures, there’s a lot of coordination and synergy between different agencies. Gone is the bickering of the old where there were turf battles between different agencies, intelligence as well as the security forces that’s because the NSA is an experienced and a respected man and the PM gives a very clear directive in what needs to be done and once he takes a decision he does not waiver no matter what the political consequences, when it comes to securing India’s national interest. That is what underlines his national security policy. It is India first and not anything else, so therefore, that is the big change, there’s no compromise on the core interests of India. However I think we need urgent police reforms in India. The law enforcers need to be better equipped and better trained and the military needs to overcome its critical shortages which have historically been there for past 20 years or so. I’m not expecting them to be made up quickly but they’re moving towards it. So, I think there has been no major terror attacks in any of the states other than J&K and parts of Punjab bordering Pakistan in the past 40 months in prevailing circumstances the world over, I think is a major achievement.

....

Rishabh: You’re someone who’s deeply interested in the north-east, the Myanmar border raid on the NSCN terrorists was an Indian cross-border operation, was it the first time that such an operation had taken place?

NG: Well again as I said, owning-up of the operation was the first time, certainly to my mind. I’ve lived in and reported from the north-east for 23 years between 1983 and 2006. In my mind there have been raids on as I said the headquarters of militant groups or camps of militant groups, all that has happened in the past. There was one operation that comes to mind, Operation Golden Bird, which happened in 1995, where the Indian and the Myanmarese army acted in concert to prevent huge influx and huge consignment of arms coming into northeast, that was there but in this case, it was an immediate raid that took place and certainly the Indian army Special Forces went into Myanmar and decimated a big camp of all the North-East militants living together, a large camp and therefore I think that was the first. And again let me tell you that it was because of the success of the Myanmarese operation that the army and the security establishment at the highest level thought of doing similar cross border raids across the LoC in the PoK, so in a way it can be said that it was a start of the proactive policy in terms of tackling militants and terrorists on both western and eastern fronts.

Rishabh: Do you envision more such operations taking place across the border?

NG: Well, let me say this or paraphrase Lt Gen DS Hooda, who has been all over the media for past 2-3 days, “Can India do a similar raid again? Yes it can, because it broke the glass ceiling” as he says in the interviews, it actually unshackled the fetters that were in the minds of the Indian military planners because they were never given the political clearance to do this. Because it was seen escalatory, a raid across the LOC in PoK. You ask me if they can be repeated, yes, they can be but no two raids of special forces are similar. Therefore, there are other options now that India can exercise when it needed but what it has done is that it has created an uncertainty in the minds of the Pakistani military establishment where they no know how India will react. Earlier, the reaction or retaliation used to be very predictable.

.....

[Vidur]

Good article.

[Aditya G]

Since 2015 Operation Peace cross-border strikes, there have been potentially 3 other strikes in Myanmar:

1. 2016/05/30: Strikes carried out in Myanmar against CorCom to retaliate for ambush of 6 AR on 22nd May in Manipur.
Totally denied by Army.

2. 2016/08/19: 12 Para SF executes strike against NSCN-K along district Mon in Nagaland.
Confirmed to have occurred but denied to be cross border by Army

3. 2017/09/04: 21 Para SF special operation against NSCN-K opposite District Longding in Aurnachal Pradesh
Confirmed to have occurred but denied to be cross border by Army

For records sake, there was at least 1 cross-border strike in Bangladesh as well some years back, but I can't get concrete info on it.

[jamwal]

Confirmed to have occurred by denied to be cross border by Army ??

[Aditya G]

Confirmed to have occurred by denied to be cross border by Army ??

I meant the encounter happened but Army said it was within Indian borders

[rahul_r]

Interview of the team that conducted the surgical strikes.

http://www.newsx.com/video-gallery/2325 ... -operation

[Aditya G]

Interview of the team that conducted the surgical strikes.

http://www.newsx.com/video-gallery/2325 ... -operation

An incredible amount of detail never before on Indian TV. Must watch except for the irritating first 5-6 minutes.

- Systematic preparations done and thorough. The recce teams were already in by 21st-22nd Sept. Thus the Quint reporting was correct as they already reported cross border strikes around that date. Summann Sharma reported it as well. It is shocking how such details reach the media.

- An operator mentioned that they were very familiar with one infil/exfil route as they had already used it multiple times

- All operators are confident and articulate. The JCO must have 100s of ops under his belt.

- UAVs kept overwatch all the time, but surprisingly was not revealed to the teams till they spotted it.

There was a lot of detail about tactics and how the strike team was broken into different parties. Got my uncomfortable but clearly the interview was at an Army office so must have been reviewed for opsec.

[Rudradev]

Interview of the team that conducted the surgical strikes.

http://www.newsx.com/video-gallery/2325 ... -operation

...

- Systematic preparations done and thorough. The recce teams were already in by 21st-22nd Sept. Thus the Quint reporting was correct as they already reported cross border strikes around that date. Summann Sharma reported it as well. It is shocking how such details reach the media.
.

Not merely shocking. Outright treasonous, as it could have endangered the success of the operation and the lives of the recce teams who were already on the other side.

Note that Quint is a platform intimately involved with Barkha Dutt (who during the 26/11 attacks, broadcast the NSG's tactical deployments in lurid detail from multiple camera angles for the benefit of her Pakistani sponsors).

[Aditya G]

http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/ind...c ... -tv-403816

Exclusive: Indian Army was livestreaming last year's surgical strike from PoK to Delhi, retd army commander DS Hooda reveals to India TV

In an exclusive interview to India TV, former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Indian Army's Northern Command Retd Lt. Gen. D. S. Hooda has revealed that last year's surgical strike was being "livestreamed" from terror launch pads inside Pak Occupied Kashmir to army headquarters in Udhampur and Delhi.

Lt. Gen. (retd) Hooda retired after 40 years of service on November 30 last year.

He told India TV anchor Saurav Sharma in a long interview how the army carried out detailed planning on last year's Sept 28 surgical strike, after the political leadership decided to carry out strikes at terror launch pads inside Pak Occupied Kashmir.

"Yes, we were getting the images live. I was sitting in the Operations Room in our command HQ in Udhampur. I saw the entire operation live, how our teams attacked the targets, and the entire live feed was being sent to Delhi Army HQ."

Asked who in Delhi were watching the feed live at Army HQ, the former army commander said, "I don't know who were watching in Delhi. But in Udhampur we were seeing." Asked whether these were images or videos, he replied: "videos".

Asked whether they got the videos via satellite or other methods, he said: "I cannot disclose what technology we used, but Indian Army has the capability where you can see live streaming of operation that was going on. We have the capability."

Asked whether the Prime Minister or National Security Adviser watched the livestreaming sitting in Delhi, he replied: "I do not know, but the feed was going to Delhi that day."

Lt. Gen. (retd) Hooda revealed that the last team of Special Forces returned after the surgical strikes at around 6.30 or 7 am. "Some teams arrived earlier. They had left earlier and had struck at targets soon after midnight, while some other teams went in later, and returned late."

"There was panic in the ranks of Pakistani forces. In some places, they were firing randomly. We had also planned a backup. If any team failed to return, we had teams ready to go in, retrieve and rescue and bring them back."

The former army commander also revealed that the government had made up its mind to make an announcement soon after the surgical strike was over.

"It was decided in advance. The government had decided that we will announce the surgical strike having taken place, own it up. Had we done this silently, and if it didn't go as planned, you can always say, nothing happened, that we did not carry out any strike. You have deniability.

"But this time, the government had decided that if it was a successful surgical strike, then we will take credit. Had it not been successful, then they would have had to take criticism also. So, the pressure on Indian Army (to make it successful) was big."


The former army commander said, the Special Forces teams that went in for surgical strike had "close combat". "In night time operations like this, you have to go nearer to your targets, and have close combat. There was firing from their side too. This time they were totally surprised. They knew only when our forces reached there and attacked."

Lt. Gen. (retd) Hooda said, "there were heavy casualties at the four or five terror launching pad targets. It could be 70-80-or 90, but the figure is not important, because all our soldiers returned back safe."

He admitted that there was a day's delay in carrying out the strikes. "The initial planning was, the forces would go in on Sept 27, but the final execution took place on Sept 28."

Asked whether the Special Forces stayed inside PoK for a day, he replied: "Before attacking a target, observation is necessary. We had satellite imagery and other info, but before you take final action, you need to see the target yourself. Maybe the number of terrorists could be more or less. Observation is always part of Special Forces' planning."

Lt. Gen. (retd) Hooda refused to disclose how many teams were sent in, but said, terror launch pads on both sides of Pir Panjal were targeted, both in Jammu and Kashmir regions.





Asked about the distance covered inside the Line Of Control, he said, "there were different distances. From the main defensive line of Pakistan army, that is the LoC." Asked whether it was more than 500 metres or upto a kilomentre, he replied: "More than that. There are some details which the government does not want to reveal, for good reasons."

He recalled how the government decided to go in for a surgical strike after the big terror strike at Uri army camp on September 18, in which 18 armymen were martyred.

"It was a shock for us. It was one of the biggest strikes by terrorists in recent years. We then decided to retaliate. Both the Army HQ and the government decided that a retaliation was necessary, and the quantum should not be small, but on a large scale. Both decided something big should be done, so that Pakistan gets the message.The government wanted a forceful response."

The former commander said: 'There was clear "hukm" (order) from the government to strike at multiple targets. We had already gathered much info about the terror launch pads, and the forces had already undergone training. I got the order from Chief of Army Staff Gen. Dalbir Singh, and then specified targets were decided. It was only then that the Special Forces were told which targets to strike."

"In our command HQ in Udhampur, I had a small planning staff, known as Operations Branch. Some officers in the Directorate of Military Operations in Delhi knew about this. They were the ones who interacted with Ministry of Defence and National Security Adviser. Once the detailed planning was done, both the 15 and 16 Corps commanders were informed."

With so many first person accounts already published, its high time NaMo also reveals his personal story

[Aditya G]

...

Not merely shocking. Outright treasonous, as it could have endangered the success of the operation and the lives of the recce teams who were already on the other side.

Note that Quint is a platform intimately involved with Barkha Dutt (who during the 26/11 attacks, broadcast the NSG's tactical deployments in lurid detail from multiple camera angles for the benefit of her Pakistani sponsors).

As per interview the strikes were delayed by a day as there was heavy speculative firing by the sentries on 28th. The operators felt as if they had intel about impending attack. Could have been alerted by a LoC post, but could be intelligence - possibly even the same elements which feed stories to Indian media.

[Guddu]

I was a little disappointed that the sniper speaking did not have his mask up high like his other team mates, why risk retaliation on self or family, even though these individuals are quite capable of defending themselves. Perhaps the invincibility of the SF mindset shows!

[srin]

Whenever these accounts are published with official blessing, the question is who is the real audience. And I don't think it is us (enthusiasts), not even the Indian population in general. It is the other side, their military to be specific.
It is great to read all these accounts of the surgical strike, pretty good psy-ops on our part. But due to the very nature of these operations and the people who conduct these operations and that we may have to do surgical strike again, I strongly suspect and hope and expect that operational details disclosed are not completely true. Just that we don't know which parts those are and just as well.

It is good to make them chase their own tail, so I'm disappointed that we only mention moles in Hizbul, but not some TSPA corp commander or some ISI top brass.
Even the recce part. If I were the armchair counter-int colonel, I'd use and share the already reported accounts just to keep the other side confused.

[wig]

http://tribuneindia.com/news/comment/st ... 74476.html

What was the real purpose of the Army action inside PoK
excerpts

If anything, the counter-terror action — where India undermined its SF by employing them in a specialised commando role — reinforced the General Headquarters, Rawalpindi’s resolve to continue with gusto. This is borne out by government statistics: While 36 Army personnel were killed between January and September last year (this includes the 19 charred in the Uri attack), 69 have died so far since the surgical strikes.

it appears the book released recently contradicts the then DGMO's version

What’s more, according to the book, “a total of 38-40 terrorists and two Pakistan army personnel were killed at the four targets. The three separate teams (each with 19 men) had simultaneously struck four launch pads (temporary camps where terrorists are given final instructions before infiltration) across the LoC.” These details contradict Lt Gen Ranbir Singh’s media briefing of September 29, 2016, that “at least seven launch pads were targeted… And significant casualties have been caused to the terrorists and those who are trying to support them.” Now, killing two Pakistan army personnel cannot be “significant casualties” for the 13-lakh strong Indian Army pitted against the six-lakh Pakistan army!

excerpts

This is not all. The book tells us why Lt Gen Ranbir Singh betrayed extreme anxiousness at his media briefing by saying that he had informed his Pakistani counterpart (within hours of the operations) about the details of the operations. The worry clearly was about Pakistan army’s scale and scope of retaliation and India’s inability to cope with it should it enlarge into the nightmarish two-front war in whatever fashion.

concluding the article mentions this

Were any lessons learnt by the Indian Army? None, if the then Northern Army Commander, Lt Gen DS Hooda’s (retd) recent interaction with the media is anything to go by. The surgical strikes, according to him have, “in some ways, shattered the glass ceiling. The Special Forces have gained tremendous confidence in their ability to execute a complex operation in very hostile territory.”
To recall, in the 90s, well before the Indian Army erected the Maginot Line (which represents defensive mindset) in the form of the fence on the LoC in July 2004, regular Army commandos rather than Special Forces, used to regularly breach the so-called glass ceiling

[Aditya G]

^ Author Pravin Sawhney

The whole article is a rant.

[Aditya G]

https://swarajyamag.com/amp/story/defen ... ri-attacks

As blanket coverage of the Uri attack took over television news and the internet on the morning of 18 September, a chill descended upon India’s Raisina Hill in Delhi. Emergency meetings were held in the most secret ‘war rooms’ of the security establishment, one of them presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

It was at this meeting that the Indian leadership secretly took two major decisions:

(1) the Indian military would take the fight to the enemy this time to deliver a brutal response to the Uri attack;

(2) the country’s ministers, including Modi himself, would play their parts to perpetuate and amplify India’s reputation for inaction until such a time when the response had been delivered. An elaborate, carefully crafted political masquerade would thus begin the following morning.

Meanwhile, 800 km away and high up in the Himalayas, a young Indian Army SF officer sat grimly in front of a small television in his barracks. Uri was his area. His hunting ground. Away on a special two-month mission to the Siachen Glacier with a small team of men from his unit, the calm of Major Mike Tango’s demeanour belied the fury that consumed him within. He watched familiar pictures from the Uri army camp flicker on the screen in front of him. And just as the Indian government was about to decide on an unprecedented course of action, a prescient warning rang in the Major’s mind.

"We knew the balloon had gone up. This wasn’t a small incident. There was no question of sitting silent. This was beyond breaking point," he says.

As second-in-command, or 2IC, of an elite Parachute Regiment (Special Forces), or the Para-SF as it is called, Maj Tango had spent a decade of his 13 service years in J&K. He had been part of over 20 successful anti-terror operations. And yet, the morning of 18 September had sent a knife through the officer’s heart. He could not wait to get back to the rest of his unit deployed in and around where the terrorists had struck.

Upon receiving the call from Udhampur that he had been expecting, from his unit’s Commanding Officer, or CO, Maj Tango gathered his men immediately for a quick return to the Valley. The team reached Dras that same night of 18 September — a date the men would never forget.

The next morning, as they began their journey to Srinagar, things were already in motion in Delhi. The first minister to make a statement was former Army Chief, General V K Singh, who, after the traditional condemnations, made a remarkably generous appeal in the circumstances — he said that India could not act on emotion. It would be a critical spark to the success of the masquerade, followed shortly thereafter by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who declared that the sacrifice of the Uri soldiers would not go in vain. Speaking to the Army in Srinagar, Parrikar sounded a familiar note, asking the Army to take ‘firm action’, but not specifying what such action needed to be. This was standard-issue Bharat Sarkaar (Indian Government) response after a terror attack.

However, to ensure that the government’s messaging was not so measured as to rouse suspicion, junior ministers were tasked with adding some fire to the proceedings. That crucial bit was deftly served up by Manohar Parrikar’s junior minister, Subhash Bhamre, who declared that the time had come ‘to hit back’.

Two more top-level meetings took place on 19 September — one chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who had cancelled his visit to Russia, and the other by Prime Minister Modi at the PMO. Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh, who had dashed to the Kashmir Valley just hours after the previous day’s attack, had been conveyed the government’s clear political directive. He arrived in Srinagar with the green signal that the SF had so far only ever dreamt about: permission to plan and execute a retaliatory strike with the government’s full backing.

Over the next 24 hours, the Army would draw up a devastating revenge plan, with options for the government leadership to choose from.

Excerpted from ‘India’s Most Fearless: True Stories of Modern Military Heroes’ by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh, Penguin Books, 2017, with the permission of the publisher.

[shyamal]

Is this book on kindle?

[Aditya G]

^ Book is not yet on kindle. will be available later.

http://m.indiatvnews.com/news/india-exc ... 17/page-39

He told India TV anchor Saurav Sharma in a long interview how the army carried out detailed planning on last year's Sept 28 surgical strike, after the political leadership decided to carry out strikes at terror launch pads inside Pak Occupied Kashmir.

"Yes, we were getting the images live. I was sitting in the Operations Room in our command HQ in Udhampur. I saw the entire operation live, how our teams attacked the targets, and the entire live feed was being sent to Delhi Army HQ."

Asked who in Delhi were watching the feed live at Army HQ, the former army commander said, "I don't know who were watching in Delhi. But in Udhampur we were seeing." Asked whether these were images or videos, he replied: "videos".
Asked whether they got the videos via satellite or other methods, he said: "I cannot disclose what technology we used, but Indian Army has the capability where you can see live streaming of operation that was going on. We have the capability."
Asked whether the Prime Minister or National Security Adviser watched the livestreaming sitting in Delhi, he replied: "I do not know, but the feed was going to Delhi that day."
Lt. Gen. (retd) Hooda revealed that the last team of Special Forces returned after the surgical strikes at around 6.30 or 7 am. "Some teams arrived earlier. They had left earlier and had struck at targets soon after midnight, while some other teams went in later, and returned late."
"There was panic in the ranks of Pakistani forces. In some places, they were firing randomly. We had also planned a backup. If any team failed to return, we had teams ready to go in, retrieve and rescue and bring them back."
The former army commander also revealed that the government had made up its mind to make an announcement soon after the surgical strike was over.
"It was decided in advance. The government had decided that we will announce the surgical strike having taken place, own it up. Had we done this silently, and if it didn't go as planned, you can always say, nothing happened, that we did not carry out any strike. You have deniability.
"But this time, the government had decided that if it was a successful surgical strike, then we will take credit. Had it not been successful, then they would have had to take criticism also. So, the pressure on Indian Army (to make it successful) was big."

The former army commander said, the Special Forces teams that went in for surgical strike had "close combat". "In night time operations like this, you have to go nearer to your targets, and have close combat. There was firing from their side too. This time they were totally surprised. They knew only when our forces reached there and attacked."
Lt. Gen. (retd) Hooda said, "there were heavy casualties at the four or five terror launching pad targets. It could be 70-80-or 90, but the figure is not important, because all our soldiers returned back safe."
He admitted that there was a day's delay in carrying out the strikes. "The initial planning was, the forces would go in on Sept 27, but the final execution took place on Sept 28."
Asked whether the Special Forces stayed inside PoK for a day, he replied: "Before attacking a target, observation is necessary. We had satellite imagery and other info, but before you take final action, you need to see the target yourself. Maybe the number of terrorists could be more or less. Observation is always part of Special Forces' planning."
Lt. Gen. (retd) Hooda refused to disclose how many teams were sent in, but said, terror launch pads on both sides of Pir Panjal were targeted, both in Jammu and Kashmir regions.

[morem]

Is this book on kindle?

I bought it on Kindle (Amazon India account ) about a week ago.

[Deans]

^ Author Pravin Sawhney

The whole article is a rant.

I read his book on China (Dragon at our doorstep) and surprised by how anti India and anti forces this former army officer is. I stopped trying to finish the book. He has an agenda. Take whatever he says with a large pinch of salt.

[shyamal]

Is this book on kindle?

I bought it on Kindle (Amazon India account ) about a week ago.

Thanks morem. I will buy it too.

[arun]

X Posted from the Terroristan thread, the tale of another cross LoC boots on the ground strike by our Army.

I hope more than a few Paki heads roll on the birthday of the Qaid, on the border and elsewhere. We can do another test of the ATGM and release the video.

3 Pakistani soldiers martyred in 'unprovoked' cross-LoC firing by Indian army: ISPR

Retaliation?

Interesting that the Uniformed Jihadi’s of the Punjabi dominated Military of the Islamic Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan are spinning a cross LoC boots on the ground attack by our Military as a cross LoC firing incident :

Indian Army crosses LOC to retaliate, kills three Pak soldiers.

Indian Army troops crossed over the Line of Control killing three Pakistani army soldiers and leaving one injured in a cross border raid on Monday retaliating to the death of four India army personnel including a major on Saturday. Based on ground intelligence and surveillance intelligence, agencies have identified the Pakistani soldiers killed as sepoy Sajjad, sepoy Abdul Rehman and Sepoy M Usman. The injured soldier on the Pakistani side has been identified as sepoy Athzaz Hussain.

"We got a go ahead to cross over and carry out an operation to avenge the killings of four soldiers including a major rank officer," said government sources confirming the army strike in PoK. According to a statement by Pakistan's Inter Services Public Relations, Indian forces opened fire along the Line of Control killing three of their soldiers. The raid happened in 12 Division of the 59 Balooch Unit in PoK, sources said.

This comes a day after Indian Army said one Pakistani soldier was killed in retaliation to the Pakistani Army firing killing four Indian Army personnel. ISPR said one other than the casualties one Pakistani soldier was injured. There have been frequent skirmishes on the line of Control with Pakistan Army indulging in repeated ceasefire violations. There has also been an increase in infiltration attempts from Pakistan trying to send terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile as inflicting disproportionately severe consequences on the transgressions of the Uniformed Jihadi’s of the Punjabi dominated Military of the Islamic Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan is the only message the Uniformed Jihadi’s are capable of understanding, I look forward to our Military dishing out a lot more punishment. The present level of punitive action while welcome has on this count some way to go to address the loss of Indian lives:

Army major among four soldiers killed in Pak firing on LoC : Three of the dead have been identified as Major Prafulla Ambadas Moharkar, Lance Naik Gurmail Singh and Sepoy Pargat Singh, Udhampur-based Defence Ministry spokesperson Colonel N N Joshi said.

[brvarsh]

I guess crossing the border on foot and mauling four Pigs albeit Sepoys - First, shows our resolve and capacity to avenge the death of Indian soldiers. I am sure many more Pakistani Major heads will fall on the ground cut fairly soon too.

[manjgu]

small tactical action onlee..need 100 ATGAS firing together...

[ArjunPandit]

I guess crossing the border on foot and mauling four Pigs albeit Sepoys - First, shows our resolve and capacity to avenge the death of Indian soldiers. I am sure many more Pakistani Major heads will fall on the ground cut fairly soon too.

I'm not sure of that.. Pakistani officers would have certainly gone behind the protection

[Manish_P]

^ The upper levels usually are, anyway

Need to also develop/encourage non-state actors to do a PNS Mehran or PAF Badaber redux

[Aditya_V]

If the Officer class is too afraid, then the PA then the lower levels will also abandon LOC posts and we can start creeping.

[la.khan]

Meanwhile as inflicting disproportionately severe consequences on the transgressions of the Uniformed Jihadi’s of the Punjabi dominated Military of the Islamic Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan is the only message the Uniformed Jihadi’s are capable of understanding, I look forward to our Military dishing out a lot more punishment. The present level of punitive action while welcome has on this count some way to go to address the loss of Indian lives:

Army major among four soldiers killed in Pak firing on LoC : Three of the dead have been identified as Major Prafulla Ambadas Moharkar, Lance Naik Gurmail Singh and Sepoy Pargat Singh, Udhampur-based Defence Ministry spokesperson Colonel N N Joshi said.

I hope these numbers disclosed to the media/public are official numbers we claim. Unofficially, I hope we felled 10-15 paki pig t*rds

[darshhan]

Meanwhile as inflicting disproportionately severe consequences on the transgressions of the Uniformed Jihadi’s of the Punjabi dominated Military of the Islamic Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan is the only message the Uniformed Jihadi’s are capable of understanding, I look forward to our Military dishing out a lot more punishment. The present level of punitive action while welcome has on this count some way to go to address the loss of Indian lives:

Army major among four soldiers killed in Pak firing on LoC : Three of the dead have been identified as Major Prafulla Ambadas Moharkar, Lance Naik Gurmail Singh and Sepoy Pargat Singh, Udhampur-based Defence Ministry spokesperson Colonel N N Joshi said.

I hope these numbers disclosed to the media/public are official numbers we claim. Unofficially, I hope we felled 10-15 paki pig t*rds

Check the shatrujeet fb page

[Karthik S]

Asfaq Ahmed Abidi‏
@AbidiAsfaq
Follow Follow @AbidiAsfaq
More
My relatives live near Rakh chakri, Pakistan side of Rawalkot sector.. They told me that They saw around 15 dead bodies of #Pakistanis I knew it that #Pakistan is hiding numbers.. #IndianArmy brutally slaughtered Fidayeens of Pakistan Army.. Jai Hind. Jai Army. #Surgicalstrikes

Don't know about this gentleman, but death number does seem reasonable.

[arun]

X Posted from the Terroristan thread.

3 Pakistani soldiers martyred in 'unprovoked' cross-LoC firing by Indian army: ISPR

Retaliation?

Interesting that the Uniformed Jihadi’s of the Punjabi dominated Military of the Islamic Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan are spinning a cross LoC boots on the ground attack by our Military as a cross LoC firing incident :

Indian Army crosses LOC to retaliate, kills three Pak soldiers.

Indian Army troops crossed over the Line of Control killing three Pakistani army soldiers and leaving one injured in a cross border raid on Monday retaliating to the death of four India army personnel including a major on Saturday. Based on ground intelligence and surveillance intelligence, agencies have identified the Pakistani soldiers killed as sepoy Sajjad, sepoy Abdul Rehman and Sepoy M Usman. The injured soldier on the Pakistani side has been identified as sepoy Athzaz Hussain.

"We got a go ahead to cross over and carry out an operation to avenge the killings of four soldiers including a major rank officer," said government sources confirming the army strike in PoK. According to a statement by Pakistan's Inter Services Public Relations, Indian forces opened fire along the Line of Control killing three of their soldiers. The raid happened in 12 Division of the 59 Balooch Unit in PoK, sources said.

This comes a day after Indian Army said one Pakistani soldier was killed in retaliation to the Pakistani Army firing killing four Indian Army personnel. ISPR said one other than the casualties one Pakistani soldier was injured. There have been frequent skirmishes on the line of Control with Pakistan Army indulging in repeated ceasefire violations. There has also been an increase in infiltration attempts from Pakistan trying to send terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile as inflicting disproportionately severe consequences on the transgressions of the Uniformed Jihadi’s of the Punjabi dominated Military of the Islamic Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan is the only message the Uniformed Jihadi’s are capable of understanding, I look forward to our Military dishing out a lot more punishment. The present level of punitive action while welcome has on this count some way to go to address the loss of Indian lives:

Army major among four soldiers killed in Pak firing on LoC : Three of the dead have been identified as Major Prafulla Ambadas Moharkar, Lance Naik Gurmail Singh and Sepoy Pargat Singh, Udhampur-based Defence Ministry spokesperson Colonel N N Joshi said.

The Hindu on the cross LoC boots on the ground retaliatory operation targeting the Uniformed Jihadi’s of the Punjabi dominated Military of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan launched by our Army:

Army carries out cross-border raid, kills 3 Pakistan soldiers

The Hindustan Times on the cross LoC boots on the ground retaliatory operation targeting the Uniformed Jihadi’s of the Punjabi dominated Military of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan launched by our Army:

In cross-border raid, Indian Army commandos kill 3 Pakistani soldiers as tension rises on LoC

[Singha]

perhaps it is 3 uniformed soldiers + various jihadis who were breaking bread in same outpost waiting for a chance to sneak in.

[ArjunPandit]

Should the title of this thread be changed? Army strikes terrorists in PoK

[Philip]

Let it be.We may also strike in other parts of Pak apart from POK !

[arun]

X Posted from the Terroristan thread.

This just in...

Indian cross-LoC firing provided 'non-state actors' cover to plant IEDs: Foreign Office

Denying Indian media's reports of an alleged incursion by Indian troops across the Line of Control (LoC), the Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday summoned the acting Indian deputy high commissioner to condemn the "unprovoked ceasefire violation" that led to three Pakistani soldiers being martyred a day earlier.

The firing by Indian forces in Rakhchikri sector of Poonch district had "provided a cover for the planting of IEDs ... by non-state actors", which resulted in the martyrdom of three soldiers

"The false claims by India about the alleged cross-LoC adventures are a figment of their imagination and counter-productive for peace and tranquility on the LoC"

The Indian side had received a "befitting response" from the Pakistani forces and their guns were silenced

So, paki mards were actually hallaled by heartless eid mubaraks planted by non-state non-marshall actors under the cover of unprovoked firing in the night by unimaginative Indian army who is actually against peaceful gestures by the benevolent pakis. And, that's that. And, we are sticking to this story for the general awaam.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1378962/india ... ign-office

Maybe today's attack by the National Bird of the Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan was likewise not a drone attack but rather an IED Mubarak planted under the cover of a drone overflight on the Afghan side of the border

[Aditya G]

3 battle casualties admitted by Pak ISPR are probably the ones with missing heads - which explains the unusual alacrity with which they admitted it. Rest of the troop unfortunately doesnt get public recognition for their sacrifice. Well at least they kept their heads!

[ArjunPandit]

From the link above

According to civilian and military sources, India has breached the truce more than 1,300 times since January this year, leaving 52 people dead on this side and another 257 injured.

Log keepers must be quite busy this year!
For a change, I really like this non-state actor narrative. Want clarification if they are Indian non state actors or pakistani non state actors? What were these non state actors, acting at LoC. Although it is entirely plausible that Indian firing resulted in the 'ied mubarak' patakhebazi of shab-e-barat

[Khalsa]

They will report more ceasefire violations by India and the true number will out in a week or two.

[Thakur_B]

^^ Check out the border thread on DFI. It regularly gets updated with details of halalled UJs with no acknowledgement from the establishment.

I believe, for the first time revenge raids are being acknowledged officially.

[Karthik S]

Probably because local units know they have govt's support now that they can acknowledge raids publicly, unlike in the past.