Four years ago, on September 29, 2016, India conducted a surgical strike across the Line of Control as a response to a terrorist attack earlier that month. The Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) was severely hit in the cross-LoC surgical strikes on terror launch pads carried out by the Indian Army with assessment reports of radio intercepts indicating that around 20 of its militants were killed.
Here's all you need to know about the now historic strike:
1. The strike was conducted soon after an Indian Army base in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir was attacked by terrorists. Nineteen Indian soldiers had died in the attack by Pakistan-backed terrorists.
2. Crossing the LoC under the cover of night on September 27-28, Indian special force members had destroyed six terror launchpads in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Officials said that 45 terrorists had also been gunned down.
3. The attack was carried out under the leadership of Prime Minster Modi. At that time, Manohar Parrikar had been the Defence Minister while Ajit Doval was the National Security Adviser. "Four years ago, around this time, the world witnessed the courage, bravery and valour of our soldiers during the surgical strike," recalled the Prime Minister recently during his Mann Ki Baat address.
4. Preparations had been underway for several days prior to the strike. Locals had been evacuated, and armed with night-vision devices, assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, shoulder-fired missiles and more, the special force squads had set out in groups.
5. Following the strike, Pakistan had countered that India's claim was an "illusion" even as it acknowledged the loss of two soldiers and the fact that several others had been injured in an exchange of fire.