New Delhi: The Indian Army’s surgical strikes against terrorists in Pakistan’s territory mark a definitive shift in New Delhi’s approach to deal with threats. While India has used the military tactic in the past, there has been virtually none to little information about what it’s about.
Here is a guide on what are surgical strikes and how they are carried out.
What is a surgical strike?
It is a pre-emptive attack on a specific target with an aim to neutralize the enemy with minimum collateral damage. It is a strategy to conduct swift and targeted attack on enemy targets minus the risk of a full-blown war. Former air chief Fali Homi Major described a surgical strike on NDTV as “a calculated manoeuvre to ensure you deliver maximum damage which gives a big surprise to your adversary”. He also described the Indian Army’s operation on Thursday as “well conducted, well done”.
How is it carried out?
It is primarily conducted in three ways:
Air strikes: The most convenient and safe way to conduct a surgical strike is through dropping missiles or air strikes as seen during the First and Second Persian Gulf wars in 1991 and 2003, respectively, by the US and its Nato allies. The US also used it against the Taliban in 2001 in Afghanistan and on numerous other occasions. Washington and its Nato allies perhaps lead the world in the use of surgical strikes to achieve their strategic and military objectives. That said, such operations require a vastly superior air power and domination, as demonstrated by the US time and again. Russian forces too are currently using it against the Syrian rebels opposing the Bashar Assad regime and turned the tide of war in the favour of government forces, BBC reported .
Airdropping teams: The second way is airdropping special operations teams, like during the Indian Army’s operations against the Naga militants in Myanmar, reported The Hindustan Times, when a crack team of elite commandos crossed into the Myanmar border and killed 38 insurgents within 40 minutes. Another high-profile example of special operations is the Operation Geronimo by the US forces to kill Osama bin Laden.
Also Read: Surgical strikes: Options before the Pakistan army
Precision bombing: A third way is precision bombing of enemy targets as employed by Israel against terrorists operating from Palestinian territories. It is different from carpet bombing where there is a much larger impact and destruction of the area, as described by the Gulf News .
The final strike
Preparation: The collection of actionable intelligence is essential to any surgical strike, and makes all the difference in the final outcome of such operations. The success or failure of such operations, especially ground operations teams, depends entirely on on-field intelligence. The US collected intelligence and analysed it for months before striking the house where Laden was hiding in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Before Thursday’s surgical strikes, the Indian Army received intelligence inputs from various sources such as services intelligence departments, Intelligence Bureau and Research and Analysis Wing at the planning stage of the operation, reported The Indian Express .
Capabilities: Ultimately, everything comes down to delivery on the ground, which depends on the capabilities of countries using surgical strikes as an option. Most countries keep the information on their special operations teams and capabilities secret for obvious reasons.
In India’s case, as The Indian Express report cited earlier points out, the Army’s Parachute Regiments have highly trained para-commandos that are specially drilled to carry out such operations. Further, the Indian Navy boasts of its feared marine commandos or MARCOS and the Indian Air Force has Garudas for asset protection and containment.
Also Read: Surgical strikes: India crosses LoC, Rubicon
