New Delhi: The central government plans to celebrate surgical strike day on Monday, September 28 to commemorate the cross-border operation India had carried out against terror camps in Pakistan on early hours of September 28, 2016.
The attack was a response to an attack led by Pakistan on an army base in Kashmir's Uri on September 18 in which 19 soldiers were martyred.
The surgical strike was followed under the direction of PM Modi, defence minister Manohar Parrikar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
It is to be noted a surgical strike is a military attack which is intended to demolish something specific.
The centre has geared up to celebrate the fourth anniversary of 2016's surgical strikes against terrorist camps in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir by the Indian army on September 28.
Celebration of surgical strike day on Septmeber 29, 2016 gave a "strong answer" to Pakistan.
The strike on the night of September 27-28 in 2016 was in response to an attack by Pakistan on an army base in Kashmir's Uri on September 18 in which 19 soldiers were killed.
Here is what you need to know about Surgical Strike Day:
- On September 18, 2016, Pakistan army launched a lethal attack on a military base in Uri, killing 19 Indian jawans.
- Indian army avenged them by conducting surgical strikes against terror pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
- The surgical strike was carried out under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, defence minister Manohar Parrikar and National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval. Following the attack, PM Modi said "India will neither forget nor forgive"
- The military started their build-up for the strikes on September 24. The special forces squads carried out for the mission armed with night-vision devices, Tavor 21 and AK-47 assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, shoulder-fired missiles, Heckler and Koch pistols, high explosive grenades and plastic explosives. The special forces squad were 30-strong each and had specific targets.
- The plan was such that teams with distant targets left early on September 27 evening so everyone's strikes would be coordinated accordingly. The directions were that all the teams would join in the terrorists simultaneously so that none could rescue another.
- Civilians dwelling nearby border in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab were evacuated started at 10 pm on September 27, before Indian soldiers went across.
- Sentinels at the launchpads were neutralised by snipers before the troops went in and finished the job.
- All teams engaged in the surgical strike returned to their respective bases by 9 am on September 28. One Indian army soldier reportedly lost his life in the operation.
- Indian Army said jawans razed six launchpads to the ground and shot down 45 terrorists at various areas.
- In 2018, two years after the attack, the government declared to celebrate September 28 as 'Surgical Strike Day' each year.
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