As Army launches Op Sarvashakti, recalling Sarpvinash of 2003, that crushed terror base in Pir Panjal

At least three brigades of additional troops are being deployed in the sector from various reserve and strike corps formations in order to increase the density of troops and, therefore, the likelihood of contact with terrorists, recalls an earlier operation by the Army in the same forests more than two decades ago.

Back in 2003, Indian forces launched Operation Sarpvinash to flush out terrorists who had infiltrated from across the border and set up camps in the thick forests south of the Pir Panjal range, especially in the Hilkaka area in Poonch.

What was Operation Sarpvinash?

Following several encounters in the area, the Army carried out, from April 2003 onward, what was until then its biggest counter-insurgency operation in Jammu and Kashmir.

The roughly three-month-long operation took place in high forested mountains, in an approximately 150 sq km area bound by three major ridges. Some 10,000 troops under the 15 Corps and 16 Corps were involved in the operation that lasted about two weeks.

Mi-17 helicopters were used to airlift soldiers to Hilkaka, a Bakerwal village that had been taken over by terrorists, and Lancer attack helicopters were used to bust concrete bunkers built by the infiltrators, The Indian Express reported earlier.

About 100 terrorists were killed in the operation. A large number of weapons of various kinds, dumps of explosives, and stores including some 7,000 kg of ration, medicines, and communication equipment were recovered. Some 40-50 terrorist hideouts were demolished in the operation.

Under what circumstances was Sarpvinash launched?

The Kargil war of 1999 was still fresh in memory and, in the aftermath of the December 13, 2001 terrorist attack on Parliament, the Indian armed forces had carried out Operation Parakram, a massive mobilisation exercise on the border with Pakistan that lasted well into the summer of 2002.

Preparations for the assault began in early 2003 after inputs suggested that more than 300 foreign terrorists who had infiltrated across the Line of Control (LoC) had established secure camps in the areas of Surankote and Hilkaka. The terrorists, who belonged to several Pakistan-based outfits, had created a demilitarised zone in the region, and were dominating the area.

They had created multiple hideouts inside caves, built bunkers in the dhokes (shelters for humans and cattle) of the migrant Bakerwals, and established a communication network.

Why is this area important strategically?

The areas south of Mendhar leading to the Pir Panjal range through Hilkaka constitute among the shortest routes of access for infiltrators from across the LoC into the Kashmir valley.

The terrorists chose this region to set up camps because dominating this area can potentially provide a conduit to personnel in the event of a military operation by the Pakistanis, and easier infiltration of terrorists.

The dense forests and steep mountain slopes offer both adequate cover and visual domination of the area. Terrorists were able to merge with the foliage whenever Indian troops carried out searches in the area, and to inflict casualties in case of contact. All of these locational advantages for terrorists remain intact to some degree even now.

What was the outcome of Operation Sarpvinash?

The operation flushed out terrorists and brought peace to the area that lasted until 2017-18, even as terrorist incidents continued to take place in the valley. But since 2021, this region has seen several high intensity attacks on security forces.