Surgical operation sanctioned soon after Uri terror attack

By Manu Pubby, ET Bureau | Sep 30, 2016, 10.52 AM IST

Sources privy to developments said there were clear instructions from the government that the terror strike should not go unpunished.

NEW DELHI: A cross-border operation to damage terror-related infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied territory was sanctioned by the Indian leadership immediately after the Uri attack. But the first attempt by the Indian side to strike across the border on September 20 did not achieve the desired results, top government sources told ET.

Special Forces of the Indian Army have carried out several successful raids across the Line of Control in the past as well, some as revenge for beheading of soldiers, but the key difference this time has been the scale of the attack — seven terror launch pads were destroyed — as well as the decision of the Indian government to make the matter public.

Sources privy to developments said there were clear instructions from the government that the terror strike should not go unpunished. While several plans were drawn up and contingencies practiced, the first strike attempted a week ago in the Uri sector did not yield “desired results”.

Among the options considered were strikes on larger terror training camps located deep inside PoK. However, a decision was taken to attack launch pads within 1-3 km of LoC, an old strategy of the Indian Army that has crossed the border on several occasions in the past to inflict damage. Officials and military leaders confirm that cross-LoC raids by India are regular. There have been multiple instances in recent years, including 2008, 2011 and 2013, when Special Forces have crossed LoC to avenge beheadings or brutal attacks on Indian soldiers. After these cross-border raids, soldiers usually come back with ‘trophies’ to record the revenge.

In fact, before the ceasefire agreement of 2003 such raids to preempt infiltration were a regular feature, with regular troops laying mines and booby-trapping bunkers and fortified positions used by militants to crossover. However, the cardinal rule followed was that the raids were never made public and were invariably denied in case details were reported in the media.

Besides, India has also conducted cross-border ‘hot pursuit’ operations in Myanmar last year to avenge the death of 18 soldiers in Manipur. However, these operations are different as they are conducted either jointly with foreign troops or with the informal permission of the neighbouring nation.