Army says one hurt in extraction after ops, trashes Pak reports on casualties

A member of the special operations team that carried out surgical strikes across the de-facto border with Pakistan received minor injury “during exfiltration” but it was not due to any enemy action, an army source said on Friday, trashing Pakistani media reports about eight Indian casualties at the LoC.

They said some Pakistani TV channels were playing “morphed” video clips showing Indian Army casualties as part of “black propaganda”.

“One member of the team involved in surgical operation received minor injury during exfiltration. The injury is not on account of any enemy or terrorist action,” the source said.

In another incident, a soldier from 37 Rashtriya Rifles inadvertently crossed the Line of Control in Mendhar sector and Pakistan has been informed by the DGMO about it over the hotline, the source said.

India said on Thursday it carried out surgical strikes on seven “terror launchpads” across the LoC on the intervening night of September 28 and 29, inflicting “significant casualties” on terrorists preparing to infiltrate from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The military action followed a September 18 attack at an Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir which left 19 soldiers dead and many others injured.

Pakistan, however, dismissed it as “fabrication of truth” and a “quest” by India to create media hype by rebranding cross-border fire as a surgical strike.

First Published: Sep 30, 2016 17:26 IST