7 years of India's Surgical Strikes: A look back at what happened in 2016
On 29 September 2016, India declared that it had conducted surgical strikes deep into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to remove "launch pads" used by Pakistani terrorist organisations to infiltrate Jammu and Kashmir.
These strikes were a strong response to the Uri attack, an atrocity that claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers on 18 September, 2016 at the hands of Pakistan-backed terrorists.
On the night of 28-29 September, 2016, Indian Special Forces crossed the Line of Control (LoC) into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The strikes were carried out in complete secrecy and accuracy, catching Pakistan off guard.
Indian Army's Special Forces, para-dropped, and conducted surgical strikes from 12.30 am to 4.30 am. They obliterated five terrorist launch pads within 500 metres to two kilometres across the Line of Control (LoC).
While India suffered no casualties, Pakistani officials claimed two soldiers killed and nine injured in the cross-border exchange of fire.
According to the Centre, the major goal of India's surgical strike was to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and prevent similar attacks.
The 2016 surgical strike was a powerful message to Pakistan and proof of India's determination to battle cross-border terrorism.
The surgical attacks elicited a careful response from the international community. While India gained international support, Pakistan denied any surgical strikes on its territory, referring to them as "cross-border firing."
The surgical strikes were widely supported by the Indian populace.