Page 3 - ch 20

Kargil Conflict - 1999 Module - V

Major Wars Post
3. What was the main cause for the of Kargil War ?
Independence
4. Who crossed the LOC in Operation Al Badr?

20.2 Operation Vijay

There were three major phases to the Kargil War.
 First, Pakistan infiltrated forces into the Indian-controlled section of Kashmir
Note
and occupied strategic locations. This enabled it to bring the road connecting
Drass and Kargil within range of its artillery fire. See fig. 20.1. This is how the
Pakistan army infiltrated and occupied the heights of Kargil. Pakistan called its
operation Al Badar.

 The next stage consisted of India discovering the infiltration and mobilising forces
to respond to it.
 The final stage involved major battles by Indian and Pakistani forces resulting in

India recapturing the territoriesheld by Pakistani forces and the subsequent
withdrawal of Pakistani forces back across the Line of Control.

1) In military terms ‘Operation Vijay’ was a limited conflict with 2 to 3 Divisions
involved on both sides. Apart from keeping the plan top secret, the Pakistan
Army also undertook certain steps to maintain surprise and deception.
2) Unlike other similar high altitude areas, the Kargil Mountains lose snow cover
rapidly as the summer progresses. Below the peaks and the ridgelines are loose
rocks, which make climbing extremely difficult. The movement of the troops is
slow, labourious and time consuming.
3) The Intruders on the heights were a mixture of professional soldiers and
mercenaries. They included the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 12th battalions of some
Pakistan Army’s Northern Light Infantry (NLI). Among them were some
Mujahideen and members of Pakistan’s Special Services Group (SSG). It was
initially estimated that there were about 500 to 1,000 intruders occupying the
heights but later it was estimated that the actual strength of the intruders may
have been about 5,000.
4) The infiltrators, apart from being equipped with small arms (rifles and machine
guns) and grenade launchers, were also armed with mortars, artillery and anti-
aircraft guns. Many posts were also heavily mined.

Intext Questions 20.2

1. Which were the areas that Pakistan occupied prior to the Kargil War ?
2. What was the name for military operation carried out by the Indian Forces to
remove Pakistani Forces from Kargil.

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MILITARY HISTORY 71