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Kargil Anniversary: The heroics of the 2-Naga regiment

The 2 Naga regiment was probably the only unit of the Indian army which seized Pakistani mortar guns during the war.

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Major General Rajesh Kundra, GOC, pays tribute at a soldier’s memorial on the eve of Kargil Vijay Diwas, in Nagpur on Wednesday
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When the elite 2-Naga regiment of the Indian Army captured the strategic Twin Bump feature in the Drass sector in July 1999, they were handed out another crucial mission to neutralise strategically located Pakistani mortar position, which was targeting the Srinagar-Leh National Highway and hampering the movement of the men and machinery.

The 2 Naga regiment was probably the only unit of the Indian army which seized Pakistani mortar guns during the war.

"We captured three 120 mm mortar guns and two 81 mm mortar guns. The only artillery captured by Indian Army in the Kargil war was by my unit", Brigadier Dinesh Kumar Badola (retired) who was then a Colonel, commanding the 2-Naga in 1999, told DNA.

In fact, the unit did not know about the Pakistani mortar positions till they captured Twin Bump.

"Generally after capturing the feature, a patrol is sent out to exploit the area. The patrol reported that a mortar was still firing about 400 meters away. I planned a raid on the mortar position and sent Lieutenant Sherawat and his party, who went from behind and neutralized the mortar positions," Brigadier Badola said. The mission to capture Twin Bump and was fraught with dangers with troops climbing during the night and taking on the Pakistani army on the peaks at 15000 feet.

"On the evening of 5 July, we climbed about 14000 feet and we were still 1000 down. Next night we climbed further and attacked the enemy. I lost 15 boys in just a night. We killed seven to eight Pakistan soldiers and rest of them fled back," said Brigadier Badola. The first meal cooked by the unit was chapati using the atta seized from Pakistani positions. The empty ammunition boxes were used as utensils to cook and feed the soldiers who had evicted the Pakistani raiders after losing 15 comrades in one night. For displaying the exemplary bravery, two soldiers of the unit were awarded Mahavir Chakra -- the second highest wartime gallantry award, and the Vir Chakra. The unit, which was deployed in North Kashmir for anti terror operations, were shifted to Drass sector to flush out Pakistan army men disguised as intruders on the icy heights. "After a month in the counterinsurgency grid, we were directed to move to Drass," said Brigadier Badola.

It was on this day, 19 years ago, that Operation Vijay officially came to an end after Indian army drove-out all Pakistani soldiers disguising as intruders and recaptured the mountain peaks and heights in Kargil and Drass sub-sectors in Ladakh.

Around 527 Indian soldiers were killed and 1360 others were injured in the war that was fought on one of the most difficult and inhospitable terrains. The Regiment of Artillery, which was the backbone of the Indian army, alone lost three valiant officers and 32 brave soldiers in the 1999 Kargil war.

Indian army artillery fired over 2, 50, 000 shells, bombs and rockets to pulverize the enemy positions. The firepower used to drive-out Pakistani army soldiers, disguising as intruders in the mountain peaks, was only second to the strength in World War II.

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