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Gaurav C Sawant
BATALIK, JULY 7: In a major success in the Batalik sector early this morning, the Army recovered the Jubar Hills. Lying close to the Line of Control (LoC), the capture of the Jubar Hills has been the biggest triumph of the Indian forces in the sector.
With this capture, the Indian troops have also cut off the supply lines of Pakistani intruders. ``This in a sense has sealed yesterday's victory at Peak 4812, Khalubar ridge and the Dog Hill,'' an officer said. The adjoining Peak 4268 was also recovered. A fierce battle is still raging for the Kukarthang Peak.
Twenty-five Pakistani intruders are said to have been killed in the Jubar Hills battle. ``There were about 120 infiltrators holed inside eight bunkers at the top. While at least 25 of them -- many of them Pakistani soldiers -- were killed, the others fled, abandoning the bunkers,'' an officer today said.
Twenty-two Indian soldiers, including three officers, laid down their lives in the Batalik operations in the last 24 hours.
The capture of theJubar Hills was facilitated when the Indian Army managed to destroy an ammunition dump of the infiltrators. Based on intelligence information, the Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) targeted the ammunition dump of the intruders. This had been proving to be a major hurdle in the advance of troops in the Batalik sub-sector.
``Once on the top, our soldiers also spotted what seemed to be the army headquarters of Pakistan's Northern Light Infantry (NIL) behind the Jubar Hills, on the Indian side of the LoC. On a signal from our infantry soldiers, the artillery managed to shell it accurately, destroying it,'' the officer added. Along with the soldiers of the Bihar regiment, the Grenadiers again played an important role in the mission.
The infantry soldiers managed to reach the top only after a stiff resistance and firing by the intruders and heavy shelling by Pakistan.
The Jubar Hills victory was as crucial as the recovery of Tiger Hills in the Drass sector. This was a launching pad to recover the otherpeaks under the occupation of infiltrators, the Army said. ``Now it is only a matter of time before we clear the entire Batalik sector,'' the officer said confidently.
The battle for the Jubar Hills continued through the night with heavy artillery and mortar shelling by Pakistan from across the LoC. ``The proximity to the LoC made the mission extremely difficult. And it is the same reason why the recovery is so crucial too. This was serving as the main supply line of men and reinforcements for the entire Batalik sector,'' another officer said.
The Indian troops launched a well orchestrated offensive against the intruders. The artillery provided support to the advancing infantry soldiers through the night, directly targeting enemy positions on the peak. It was at 3.30 in the morning that the Indian troops gained complete control of the Jubar Hills.
Peak 4927, a twin peak, and an adjoining trident-shaped peak are still with the Pakistani intruders.
Fierce fighting is also on at Tharoo apart from theKukarthang peak. ``These still remain firmly in Pakistani possession. They also have reinforcements here,'' an officer said.
Munto Thalo, where the Air Force had conducted air strikes a few days ago, still remains with the intruders. It is said to be the base of the intruders from where they are controlling their operations. There was heavy shelling and firing throughout the night from Pakistani side of the LoC.
However, the Army is confident of more gains since they said that the enemy morale was very low. ``With the recovery of Jubar Hills and Khalubar ridge, we have got the heights and can see the enemy across the LoC,'' the officer added.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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