Modi recalls 2016 strikes as anniversary approaches

Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his September 27 Mann Ki Baat broadcast to recall the 2016 surgical strikes, describing the military operation as a decisive response to terrorism and an example of India’s counterterrorism policy. His remarks came as the operation approached its 10th anniversary on September 28-29. Modi said the Indian Army crossed the Line of Control on the night of September 28-29, 2016, and targeted terrorist hideouts after the attack on the Army camp in Uri. He presented the strikes as a firm response to the country’s experience of terrorist attacks and said India had adopted a policy of zero tolerance toward terrorism. The account of the operation and its significance in the broadcast was Modi’s. The reports of his remarks did not provide separate operational records or independent verification of the targets or results, and did not detail casualties or military effects from the strikes. They therefore establish what the prime minister said, but not independently assessed outcomes of the operation. Modi also referred to the Balakot airstrike and Operation Sindoor as later examples of India’s response to terrorism.