Troops foil Pak attempt
Commandos
kill 15 intruders
From Girja
Shankar Kaura
Tribune News Service
NEW DELHI, June 28
— Indian jawans yesterday foiled another attempt by
the Pakistani infiltrators to capture some posts in the
Turtuk sub sector of the Kargil region and south of
Siachen glacier in Jammu and Kashmir killing at least 15
of them as the Indian Air Force (IAF) continued its round
the clock strikes on the infiltrators positions achieving
positive results.
Pakistan’s attempts
to open more points of conflicts were foiled effectively
by the Indian troops in the southern Siachen glacier
region as the infiltrators were evicted from their
positions by the para commandos specialised in high
altitude warfare. Helicopter gunships were used to para
drop the commandos of the Army to push the infiltrators
back from the ridgeline they had occupied in the
world’s highest battlefield on Saturday.
The presence of the
infiltrators was noticed first on Saturday and by the
time the Indian para commandos got into action yesterday,
their number had swelled. The Army commandos engaged the
infiltrators in close hand to hand battle killing 15 of
them in the process and pushing the rest back beyond the
ridgeline. Two more Pakistani infiltrators were killed in
operations in the other parts of the region.
Reports said initially a
group of about 10 infiltrators was noticed in the region
on Saturday. The infiltrators were attempting to capture
some of the Indian posts in the region. However by
yesterday their number had swelled to about 40 forcing
the Indian commandos to get into action.
During this operation
the Indian troops also recovered three AK series rifles,
two universal machine guns, one rocket launcher, an 82 mm
mortar, a sniper rifle with telescope and a passive night
vision device. Indian troops were still carrying out
mopping up operations in the region, reports said.
This was not the first
attempt by the Pakistani army regulars to capture some
posts north of the Turtuk region and south of the Siachen
glacier. Earlier this month, with the arrest of 12
militants, the Indian Army had busted the plot of the
Pakistani soldiers to grab the Turtok and adjacent areas.
Pakistan had planned to
infiltrate militants into the area to subvert locals and
initiate insurgency, launch operations to occupy critical
areas to facilitate operations of ground forces and
finally declare Turtuk and adjacent areas as part of
their northern areas. Even then Indian troops had made a
recovery of the large quantity of arms and ammunition
from the militants.
Sources here said the
second attempt made by the Pakistani soldiers to capture
areas in Turtuk showed their resilience and the
involvement of professionals. Despite having been pushed
back once, they again attempted to capture the region,
which was a serious indication of the Pakistani designs.
The Indian Army had now
despatched further reinforcements in the region to assist
the already entrenched Indian troops. The concentration
now was to ensure that the entire ridgeline was covered
by the Indian forces and Pakistan could not attempt
another such misadventure, sources said.
With the killing of 17
Pakistani army regulars in the past 24 hours, the
casualty count on the enemy had risen to 398 soldiers
killed and 123 militants killed. Besides 50 militants
were also reported to be missing. Meanwhile the Indian
casualties rose to 175 killed with the loss of two more
jawans. 364 Indian soldiers have been wounded and nine
were missing in action.
Meanwhile, the IAF
fighter planes spearheaded by Mirage-2000 and the MiG-27s
continued their round-the-clock strikes on the
infiltrators positions all along the Kargil sector. The
IAF Mirages and the MiG-27s backed by the combat air
patrolling by MiG-29s struck at the infiltrators
positions at Tiger Hill, Jubar Hill and Dharu Hill with
the improvised precision guided munitions (PGMs).
The IAF carried out the
strikes in the Jubar and Dharu Hill of the Batalik sub
sector last night. Another wave of strike was carried out
in the Mushkoh valley this afternoon after giving a break
in the morning. The IAF had also carried out strikes in
the Dras sub sector last night achieving excellent
results.
According to reports
here, the IAF planes were now picking up the big camps
during the recee missions and then destroying them. Even
in Jubar and Dharu Hill the strikes were carried out at
the relative bigger staging cum supply camps of the
infiltrators. This morning the IAF carried out air
missions all along the Kargil region.
Army spokesman, Col
Bikram Singh, briefing newsmen here said that the Indian
troops used artillery shelling, automatic grenade
launchers and mortar firing to destroy seven field
fortifications of the infiltrators in the Batalik and
Dras sectors.
He pointed out that the
militants and mercenaries who had been coopted into the
fighting in the Kargil sector by the Pakistan Army, and
had been described as "fighting porters",
belonged to the Lashkar-e-Toiba, Harket-ul-Mujahideen and
Harket-ul Jehad-e-Islam.
He said Pakistan had
moved elements of the strategic reserves from Peshawar
and Mangla to the occupied Kashmir and the Indian Army
had taken necessary precautionary measures.
The ground operations in
the Kargil sector, he said were progressing in a steady
and deliberate manner and the softening up of enemy
positions continued through effective employment of
artillery, mortar and direct firing weapons.
In the Batalik sector,
two field fortifications (sangars) were demolished by
artillery firing while five "sangars" were
destroyed in the Dras sector using automatic grenade
launchers and mortar fire. Four Pakistani Army soldiers
were killed in these operations and many wounded. The
Indian Army lost two Jawans while one was injured. The
Indian casualties till now are 175 killed, 361 wounded
and nine missing.
Group Captain D.N.
Ganesh, Joint Director of Air Operations, said
reconnaissance and air defence missions were carried out
all over the Kargil sector but air attacks were
concentrated on the Dras and Batalik sectors.
He said the IAF fighter
planes and helicopter gunships expanded the tempo of
their operations and at random were carrying out
operations throughout the night and day since the last
two days.
Answering a question, he
said the aircraft had night vision capabilities. The IAF
had been employing new weapon delivery techniques
developed by the Western Air Command which had been very
effective in softening up the targets.
"For the past two
days we have been taking round-the-clock measures to
create stress and uncertainty among the enemy. We want to
wear him down, sap his energy and sap his will", Gp
Capt Ganesh said.
Col Bikram Singh said
the Indian troops effectively stopped replenishments from
reaching the infiltrators when it intercepted and
attacked an animal transport column of some 30 mules and
10 to 15 men close to the LoC in the Dras sector.
He said there were heavy
casualties after the Indian troops hit the column with
artillery and mortar fire.
He clarified that the
Pakistan’s contention that if it managed to hold on
to the intruded positions in Kargil for two more months,
India would lose its hold over the entire Siachen was
baseless and a figment of imagination. He pointed out
that National highway 1A was being used and would be used
by Indian convoys in the future also.
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