Without as much as naming Pakistan, the Indian Army sent out a veiled warning that retaliation on India’s own terms cannot be ruled out as a fallout of the Uri army base attack by four Pakistan-backed terrorists on Sunday in which 18 soldiers were killed and scores were injured.
“We have the desired capability to respond to such blatant acts of aggression and violence as deemed appropriate by us. We reserve the right to respond to any act of the adversary at a time and place of own choosing,” Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh, director-general of military operations (DGMO), said in a briefing in Delhi’s South Block which houses the defence ministry.
Of the 18 dead, a few had reported their joining at the Uri Army base on Saturday. “It was as if death was beckoning them,” a serving Army official told this newspaper. As part of the routine changeover, the Bihar Regiment was in the process of shifting out and the Dogra Regiment was moving in.
“The infantry battalion at Uri is about 1,000-strong. A changeover takes about a month or so. Before the fighting soldiers move in, it is the recce men who move in first and pitch tents and set up ‘langars’ or kitchens. It is this group of men who are positioned at the rear of the battalion base who were unfortunately targeted either by design or by default,” the official added.
The four terrorists were shot dead after a three-hour-long operation where commandos from four Para Commandoes (SF) were flown in from Srinagar in helicopters to the attack site in Uri.
The DGMO read out the total list of recoveries made from the slain terrorists — four AK 47 rifles, four Under Barrel Grenade Launchers, 39 Under Barrel Grenade Launcher grenades, five hand grenades, two radio sets, two GPS sets, two map sheets, two matrix sheets, one mobile phone and a large number of food and medicine packets having Pakistani markings.
However, he made no mention of any incendiary weapon being recovered. On Sunday, the DGMO had said that about 13-14 deaths had occurred due to the use of incendiary weapons which set the tents ablaze.
Lt. Gen. Singh said there has been a spike in infiltration attempts this year with 31 terrorists having been gunned down on the LoC itself. Till now, a total of 110 terrorists have been killed in gunfights, he added.
However, the infiltration attempts may be much more as many of them would have been undetected.
Pakistan on Monday also rattled its sabres with Army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif meeting his top commanders in the wake of the “hostile narrative” by India after Sunday’s attack.
An Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement read: “Taking note of a hostile narrative being propagated by India, COAS (Gen Sharif) said that we are fully cognizant and closely watching the latest happenings in the region and their impact on the security of Pakistan”.
