Return from PoK was the most difficult part, says major who led the surgical strike

The Indian Army major who led the surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) in September 2016 has said the return from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) was the most difficult part as bullets being fired by the enemy were so close that they were whistling past the ears of the Indian soldiers.

The major has spoken about the surgical strikes in a new book titled "India's Most Fearless: True Stories of Modern Military Heroes", which will be published by Penguin India on the first anniversary of the mission. The book has been written by journalists Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh.

Major Mike Tango — as he is referred to in the book — said the Army had decided to involve soldiers from the units that suffered losses in the Uri attack to carry out the surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the LoC.

According to the book, a Ghatak platoon was formed and jawans from the two Army units that had lost men in the Uri attack were called in to man the border posts and provide crucial intelligence, and also support the mission.

"Tactically, this was a smart move — few knew the lay of the frontier land better than they did. But there was another astute reason. Involving them in the mission would at least begin to lay the ghosts of Uri to rest," the book states.

Planning of the surgical strike

It also spoke about the planning that went into the surgical strikes, the Press Trust of India reported. The book says: "The target list was scrutinised along a top-secret chain of command that numbered barely a handful of people, with need-to-know rules applicable throughout."

It adds: "The options were vetted by designated officers from the Intelligence Bureau and the Research and Analysis Wing, before a final recommended brief was presented to the government."

Major Tango was given the responsibility of leading the mission to carry out the surgical strikes. "As team Leader, Major Tango had chosen every man himself, including the officers and men who would play a supporting role. He was also acutely aware of the fact that the lives of 19 men were, quite literally, in his hands," the book states.

However, there was one thing that worried the major throughout the planning of the mission: The return of the soldiers from PoK. "That's where I knew I could lose guys," he was quoted in the book as saying.

"Even the actual attack was not something that flustered the commandos. It was the return, an uphill trek to the LoC that was the truly daunting part. Their backs would be facing a blaze of fire from Pakistan Army posts, belatedly roused from their slumber. And the dominant position held by the posts would make the escaping warriors easy targets to spot and kill," the book says.

Target selection

As many as four terror launch pads being operated by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) — Pakistan's spy agency — in PoK and protected by the country's army were selected as targets for the strikes.

"Through a series of masked communications over mobile, Major Tango's men contacted four assets — two local villagers in PoK and two Pakistani nationals operating in the area — both moles in the dreaded Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group, men who had been turned by Indian agencies a few years before," the book states.

"All the four assets separately confirmed the target information that was placed before them. In terms of intelligence, there was nothing further for the team to do on this side of the LoC," it added.

Courage and fearlessness

The book talks about 14 true stories of courage and fearlessness of the soldiers of the Indian Army and their display of bravery in hostile situations and under grave threat.

The soldiers were told to reach their targets, study the latest possible intelligence and then proceed to kill every man they saw in the region. The weapons and equipment — assault rifles, sniper rifles, disposable grenade launchers and night-vision equipment — were then finalised.

The book mentions that two of the four terror launch pads identified as targets for the team were inside PoK and about 500 metres apart.

"Each launch pad is really a transit staging area for terrorist infiltrators before they are sent across the LoC. Both launch pads were close to Pakistan Army posts for logistical and administrative purposes. ISI handlers would often visit these launch pads before infiltration attempts," states the book.

"From the moment the firefight began until the last bullet was fired, it had been just over an hour. The frenetic pace of the assault meant the teams, now united after the split attack on two launch pads, would prepare to leave with only a very rough estimate of the number of terrorists they had managed to kill: 20. The figure would be corroborated days later by India's external intelligence," the book adds.

Deadly strike

The book says the Indian soldiers killed "a total of 38-40 terrorists and two Pakistan Army personnel... at the four targets. The three separate teams had simultaneously struck four launch pads across the LoC. Their entry into PoK had been coordinated and precisely timed."

With regard to the return to LoC, Major Tango decided not to take the route the soldiers had used to enter PoK. He decided to take a longer, indirect and a comparatively safer path to return after carrying out the strikes.

However, the soldiers of the Pakistan Army, who were furious at the surgical strike carried out by the Indian soldiers, opened fire with everything they had.

"At one point, the bullets were so close, they were whistling past our ears. There's a familiar put-put sound when rounds fly very close to your head... If I were a foot taller, I would have been hit many times over," Major Tango is quoted in the book as saying.

The book adds that the soldiers, while trying to return to the LoC through the longer route, mostly lay flat on the ground and "needed to slither the full distance without being hit" as the ammunition being fired by the Pakistani soldiers shredded trees in their path to bits.

"Crossing in pairs as ammunition hit the ground inches from them, Major Tango's team made it to the LoC before the sun was up, finally crossing it at 0430 hours," the book said.