MI-17 helicopter shot
down: 4 killed
From
Girja Shankar Kaura
Tribune News Service
| NEW DELHI, May 28 — India
today lost an MI-17 helicopter while taking part
in the clearing-out operations in Dras and
Tololing, remote regions of Jammu and Kashmir,
even as the Indian Air Force fighter aircraft
continued heavy shelling of the positions held by
the Pakistani infiltrators, destroying their
vital installations. |
HUNZI
GHUND, PAKISTAN: Pakistan's army men remove the
tail of Indian jet fighter MiG-27 on Friday in
Hunzi Ghund, in Pakistan territory. — AP/PTI |
While Pakistan attempted
to push through more militants in other sectors of Jammu
and Kashmir, specially in Rajouri, the Army carried out
heavy artillery firing to ensure that such misadventures
were not successful. Heavy artillery firing was
continuing all along the LoC in sectors extending from
Kupwara to Akhnoor.
About 30 armed intruders
attempted to cross into the Indian territory in the
Rajouri sector last night, but were repulsed by the
Indian troops. The attempt of the infiltrators to cross
into Indian territory was supported by heavy artillery
firing from across the border.
According to reports,
the IAF carried out air strikes throughout the day in the
Dras, Tololing, Kaksar and Batalik regions to completely
destroy the infiltrators camps, specially the bunkers,
ammunition dumps and the logistic posts built by them.
The IAF fighter aircraft were carrying out attacks in
waves, not giving any respite to the infiltrators to plan
their moves.
Although the IAF here
officially stated that just about 50 sorties had been
carried out in the past three days of air strikes by the
fighter pilots, sources disclosed that more than 200
sorties had been undertaken between yesterday afternoon,
after losing the two MiGs, and late this evening itself.
The IAF aircraft and helicopter gunships were homing-in
in waves, launching attacks destroying targets with the
250 kg bombs and 54 mm guns.
The IAF undertook more
than 80 sorties throughout yesterday after losing the
MiG-21 to a surface-to-air missile fired from across the
border. Another MiG-27 was lost due to engine failure.
Apparently, more than 100 sorties were carried out today
as air strikes continued throughout the day.
Reports said that the
Indian forces had cleared an important ridgeline in
Tololing and efforts were under way to clear another key
feature called ‘5104’ between Dras and
Tololing. Sources said that intensive efforts were
underway to recapture 5104.
This key feature was
being held by about 40 infiltrators who were well
equipped with missiles and other weapons. It was during
the clearing out operations in this region that the IAF
lost the MI-17 helicopter around 11 am to a
shoulder-fired Stringer missile. The helicopter was
flying at a height of 17,000 to 18,000 ft when it was hit
by a missile.
All four IAF personnel,
including two pilots travelling in the helicopter, were
killed. The helicopter was seen crashing about seven to
eight km north of Dras, inside the LoC.
The sources disclosed
that the Indian forces had also cleared the Mashkoh
valley of the infiltrators. Besides, they had also been
pushed back considerably in the Dras, Batalik, Tololing
and Kaksar sectors.
The IAF operations were
being masterminded at the Western Air Command HQ in Delhi
by the Air Officer Commander-in-Chief Air Marshal Vinod
Patney and Senior Staff Air Officer Air Marshal Michel
McMohan. The two were constantly monitoring the
operations not only in Delhi but also in Srinagar, with
Air Marshal McMohan being at the control button.
The Indian forces had
achieved considerable success in the region and the
clearing-out operations were also continuing along with
the artillery firing through the night. The IAF
operations were also extending into the night, specially
the movement of the fighter aircraft.
The casualty figure of
the infiltrators had crossed 300 with over 100 wounded.
However, the official figure being given out was of 200
infiltrators killed and a large number of them injured.
The aim of the infiltrators has been described as to
mainly capture the Srinagar-Leh highway passing through
Dras and Kargil.
Reports said that the
Indian Army had now adopted new tactics and was moving in
waves rather than in one large group to clear out the
infiltrators. The Indian troops have been firing two inch
mortars, 81 mm mortars and 51 mm mortars along with 84 mm
rockets. They have also been armed with the light and
medium machine guns and 5.56 mm guns.
Briefing newsmen, Air
Vice Marshal S.K. Malik, Additional Assistant Chief of
Air Staff (Operations), said Indian armed forces would
continue to exercise restraint. It would review some of
the options in front of it to evict the infiltrators,
including a change in the weapons being used in the
operation.
AVM Malik said that the
latest incident of the shooting down of the MI-17
helicopter was an indicator to the presence of Pakistani
Army regulars. It also showed their grand designs to
encroach upon our territory.
Maj-Gen J.J Singh,
Additional DG, Military Operations, said there had been
Pakistani troop movement across the border, particularly
along Jammu and Kashmir. "Keeping this in view,
suitable precautionary measures have been taken and
appropriate state of alert has been declared," he
said.
India has also demanded
the early return of its captured pilot from Pakistan and
the despatch of the body of the killed pilot. Although
the Air Force still continued to categorise the two
pilots, Flt-Lt K. Nachiketa and Sqdr Ldr Ajay Ahuja as
" missing in action", Air Vice Marshal S.K.
Malik said, "We have no means of confirming details
about the pilots. But since Pakistan is claiming to have
captured one and that the other was dead with them, they
should immediately return them."
AVM Malik said that
Pakistan had no business to keep any captured or the body
of the dead pilot. "This is not a war and we are
operating well within our territory," he said.
The IAF had carried out
more air strikes at the positions of the infiltrators
immediately after an Indian MiG-21 was shot down by a
Surface to Air Missile from across the border yesterday.
This morning the attacks
were carried out after daybreak. The IAF spokesman denied
that the state-of-the-art SU-30 aircraft had also been
pressed into operations in the icy heights of Kargil,
Dras and Batalik.
AVM Malik said that for
the third day today, air strikes were carried out
successfully on the entrenched positions of the
infiltrators, who consist of Afghan mercenaries and also
Pakistan army regulars.
Maj-Gen J.J. Singh, who
was also present at the morning briefing, said any Indian
airman or any of the 12 army personnel missing so far
should be treated under the Geneva Convention, if they
were in Pakistan custody. The MiG-21, flown by Sqdn Ldr
Ahuja was shot down by a Pakistani missile when he was
trying to locate Flt-Lt Nachiketa, who had ejected from
his MiG-27 fighter after it developed engine trouble.
Asked if New Delhi was
considering any measures to retaliate following shooting
down of its warplane, AVM Malik categorically said,
"We have no intention of crossing the Line of
Control (LoC). We will employ tactics to save our planes.
At the same time, the Pakistan action is hostile and
provocative".
Till date, since the
operations against the infiltrators began on May 8, the
Indian Army has lost 24 soldiers while 131 were injured
and 12 were missing.
On the shooting down of
the MiG-21, AVM Malik said that it was quite possible
that a fighter operating at a high speed of 1000 km an
hour could have crashed in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir
(PoK) after the pilot had bailed out. However, he
asserted that the IAF aircraft was operating in the
Indian side of the LoC.
|
