The Indian Army has gone after the top commanders in the Valley and not just some run of the mill foot soldiers. The Indian armed forces’ aim seems to be to break the spine of terrorism lodged up in the Pakistan looking to infiltrate India
The artillery firing that the Indian Army resorted to in a bid to destroy terror camps in Pakistan has been termed as unprovoked by Pakistan media. Further, Pakistan also claimed that nine Indian soldiers were killed in the attack.
Both the claims made by Pakistan is laughable in nature. It has lined up 500 terrorists along the border and violated the ceasefire 2,317 times. Further, sources have confirmed that no Indian soldier was killed in the attack. Instead the Indian Army managed to kill 18 terrorists and 16 Pakistan Army soldiers during the artillery firing that took place on Sunday, the source further confirmed.
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Following the strike, the security agencies carried out an exercise to assess the damage caused by the Indian strike on Pakistan. The 155 mm guns using precision long range ammunition destroyed 15 terror pads of the Jaish-e-Mohammad located across the border.
A senior official speaking to MyNation confirmed that all the terror pads were destroyed. These terror pads had been set up over a period of time and gradually the Pakistan army had ensured that nearly 500 odd terrorists had been brought near the border.
An Army official explained that this operation carried out on the terror launch pads in the Neelam Valley in Pakistan occupied Kashmir was important to stop mass infiltration. We first picked up intelligence on these pads, following which the GPS locations were picked up, the officer explained. While confirming the casualties, the officer also said that Pakistan had arranged for ambulances in the middle of the night to ferry the dead terrorists and those injured.
It is Pakistan that provokes:
Ever since the abrogation of Article 370, there has been a massive spike in the activity by Pakistan. It is trying to infiltrate as many terrorists as possible before the winter sets in. There is a clear sign of desperation on the part of Pakistan to ensure that it can place as many terrorists as possible in Jammu and Kashmir before the snow sets in.
The increased number of ceasefire violations and unprovoked firing is only to provide cover-fire so that the terrorists can slip in. However, the Indian Army has retaliated strongly and ensured that no terrorist has been able to slip in post the abrogation of Article 370.
India on the other hand has repeatedly called on Pakistan to adhere to the 2003 ceasefire agreement and also maintain peace along the Line of Control and International Border.
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The manner in which Pakistan has been provoking India is clear from the number of times it has violated the ceasefire. 1,629 in 2018 and 2,317 already in 2019 is a clear sign of the nation’s desperation, officials also point out.
Sending a shiver down their spine:
The brief to the security forces has been very clear since 2014. The policy of the Narendra Modi government has been, ‘clean up the mess.’ With a complete free hand, the Indian Army has been giving Pakistan a fitting reply.
Be it the surgical strike, Balakot hit or the artillery strike, the Indian Armed Forces have been going all guns blazing against the rogue nation. Security experts feel that there is a need for sustained action. Pakistan is not going to mend its ways and hence has to be hit the way it deserves, they say.
In the aftermath of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Burhan Wani, the Indian armed forces set a target to wipe out the top leadership. By 2018, 10 members of the Burhan Wani gang including him were wiped out, while one was arrested.
It was a raid, bust and kill operation and the armed forces have deployed it very successfully. Not only did it manage to wipe out the top rung of the Hizbul Mujahideen, but also reduced the strength of the Jaish-e-Mohammad considerably. Another terrorist, Zakir Musa who broke away from the Hizbul Mujahideen had become problematic, but he was gunned down moments after the BJP returned to power in 2019. In yet another successful operation, Zakir Masa’s successor of the Al-Qaeda’s Kashmir unit was gunned down on Tuesday. He has been identified as Hamid Lelhari.
Statistics say it all:
The Indian Armed Forces have not only been giving Pakistan a befitting reply at the border, but also within Jammu and Kashmir, where its terrorists roamed around in large numbers.
Apart from avenging every terror strike and violation in a major manner, the armed forces have also had a successful run in Jammu and Kashmir when it comes to gunning down terrorists.
In 2014, 110 terrorists were killed and in 2015 the number stood at 108. In the year 2016, the number of terrorists to be gunned down was 150. In the year 2017 and 2018, the Indian forces went all guns blazing and gunned down a whopping 213 and 232 terrorists respectively.
What was more important is that the forces went after the top commanders in the Valley and not just some run of the mill foot soldiers. The likes of Zakir Musa, Samir Tiger, Usman Haider, Talha Rashid, the two nephews of JeM chief, Maulana Masood Azhar were among the top terrorists to be shot down.
For the Armed Forces the brief was clear and that was to go after the top guard. The idea was to wipe out the top leadership, so that the lower rung shakes. Another major success for the forces was the wiping out of the sniper squad in the Valley that was headed by Azhar’s nephews. The sniper squad was in fact operating with M-4 Carbines, a weapon that is used by the NATO forces in Afghanistan. The killing of Azhar’s nephews, Showkat Ahmed and 10 others within a period of one year ensured that the sniper squad of the Jaish-e-Mohammad was wiped out and never returned.
The heat is on:
The Indian government has made it clear that the Army would keep hitting Pakistan and its terrorists until they mend their ways. Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satyapal Malik warned that the Indian Army would go deeper and destroy terror camps.
Rajnath Singh too said that the Army would keep hitting Pakistan until the infiltrations do not stop. He said that the Armed Forces have never been offensive on the Pakistan side and we have never resorted to firing first. If they do not stop infiltrations, our Army will continue to give a befitting reply, Singh also said. Pakistan has to behave or else we will go deeper and hit them, Singh further said.
Air Marshal (retd), BK Pandey had earlier told MyNation these actions by our armed forces was a long overdue step. Obviously, now the government has removed all restrictions on the Indian Army as it had done at the time of the Balakot strike.
The army has clearly been given a free hand and they will use artillery and hit what is in range. BK Pandey says that this would need to be a continuous action as all the terror camps that have been hit can be re-organised by Pakistan. They will continue to set up more camps and we need to keep hitting them.
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