New Delhi, September 28, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A decade after the Indian Army’s surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC), the September 28-29, 2016 operation remains a key marker in India’s stated counter-terrorism approach, with the government describing it as a shift towards a more proactive and deterrence-based response to cross-border terrorism.
The strikes came 11 days after the September 18, 2016 terror attack on an Army base in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 19 Army personnel were eventually reported killed.
On September 29, 2016, the Army said it had conducted surgical strikes on several terrorist launch pads along the LoC after receiving specific and credible intelligence about teams preparing to infiltrate and carry out attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere in India.
The operation represented a significant departure from the earlier emphasis on diplomatic and military channels in responding to cross-border infiltration. The government has since described the strikes as a watershed in India’s counter-terrorism strategy and as an indication of its willingness to undertake pre-emptive action against terrorist infrastructure across the LoC.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his September 27, 2026 Mann Ki Baat address, recalled the operation as a “bold new example” of India’s counter-terrorism policy. He said the strikes demonstrated India’s resolve to respond decisively to terrorism and linked the subsequent Balakot airstrike and Operation Sindoor to the same broader approach.
The 2019 Balakot airstrike followed the February 2019 Pulwama terror attack, while Operation Sindoor was launched in April 2025 following the Pahalgam terror attack, according to government accounts.
The 2016 operation also became a reference point in subsequent discussions on India’s military response to terrorism. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said earlier this month that the armed forces had been given the freedom and resources to respond decisively to threats, including striking adversaries inside their own territory.
The government’s current assessment describes the surgical strikes as part of an evolving security doctrine combining military precision, strategic signalling and diplomatic measures. The 10th anniversary has therefore renewed focus on how the 2016 operation influenced India’s subsequent counter-terror responses.
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