Army calls off operation in terror-struck Uri, says infiltration bids highest in 4 years

NEW DELHI: A day after an Indian Army unit’s administrative base in Uri was attacked by four terrorists on Sunday, the army’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh today stated that its operations have been called off after conducting a detailed search of the area in and around the military complex at Uri.

For the second time after the attack which led to the killing of 18 soldiers and injuries to 32 others, the army has stated that it will give a befitting reply. “The Indian Army has displayed considerable restraint while handling the terrorist situation both along the Line of Control (LoC) and in hinterland. However, 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,” the officer said today.

Lt. Gen. Singh's remark was identical to the statement given by the then Army chief Gen. Bikram Singh in 2013 after the January 8 violation of the LoC in which one jawan was beheaded and the other had his throat slit."We'll give them a fitting reply...we will respond at a time and place of our choosing," he had said.

Following the Pathankot attack earlier this year, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had also said the same.

The army operation was called off today, even as the DGMO stated that the infiltration attempts by terrorists have shown a marked increase in comparison to the past three to four years. This year, there have been 17 infiltration bids, eliminated by the army along the LoC, said the DGMO. Of a total of 110 terrorists killed in Jammu and Kashmir, 31 have been killed while they were attempting to cross the LoC.

The army said the last two infiltration attempts- on September 11 this year in Punch and on Sunday in Uri- have been successfully thwarted by the army killing the terrorists.

The army has also revealed more recoveries made from the four terrorists who attacked the Uri base. The total recoveries are four AK-47 assault rifles, four Under Barrel Grenade Launchers (UBGL), 39 UBGL grenades, five hand grenades, two radio sets, two GPSs, two map sheets, two matrix sheets, a mobile phone and a large quantity of food and medicine packets having Pakistani markings.