GUWAHATI, Sept 29 - Indian troops crossed the Line of Control (LoC) last night and busted six camps and �launch pads� of terrorists in the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), killing over 35 terrorists in an operation that lasted more than five hours.
Indian troops did not suffer any casualty. A number of terrorists were staying in those camps, waiting for an opportunity to sneak into India.
Highly placed defence sources told The Assam Tribune that the camps and launch pads of militants were located between three to five kilometres across the LoC and the troops went inside PoK to strike at the camps and busted all six of them. The operation started at 2.30 am last night and continued till around 8 am. The troops also used choppers to reach the spots after getting pinpoint information about the locations. Meanwhile, additional troops along the LoC have been deployed to prevent terrorists from entering India from Pakistan.
India officially admitted to carrying out the strikes across the LoC today, with the Director General of Military Operations, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, saying in a statement that �India conducted surgical strikes last night across the LoC to safeguard our nation.�
Lt Gen Singh said significant casualties have been caused to the terrorists and those trying to shield them. He, however, said that India does not have any plan to further conduct such operations and India has already spoken to Pakistan authorities about the incident.
Lt Gen Singh revealed that there were launch pads across the LoC where a number of terrorists were present and they were planning to enter India to strike in Jammu and Kashmir and in the metropolitan cities across the country.
Lt Gen Singh disclosed that the team involved in the operation recovered items like GPS having Pakistani markings. �Captured terrorists hailing from the PoK or Pakistan have confessed that they were trained in the Pakistan-controlled region,� he added.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Pakistan admitted that at least two Armymen were killed as Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged fire, which started at 2.30 am. The statement further said that Indian troops resorted to firing in Bhimber, Horspring Kel and Lipa sectors.
Meanwhile, official sources pointed out that India had time and again warned Pakistan not to allow its territory to be used by terrorists. India has also called for international diplomatic boycott of Pakistan for shielding terrorists waging war against India. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also raised the issue strongly in the United Nations General Assembly.
Sources also revealed that three ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC were reported in the last 24 hours and the Indian troops are keeping a close watch on the situation.
Sources further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to hold a high-level meeting today to review the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to Pakistan, but the meeting has been rescheduled and now it is likely to be held next week. The date of the meeting is yet to be finalised.
India had also handed over all the evidence to the Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit, proving that the terrorists involved in the killing of 19 Armymen in Uri had indeed come from Pakistan, sources added.
