First surgical strike took place in September 2016: Indian Army calls out Rahul, MMS claim about UPA-era strikes

Singh was addressing a press conference in which he was asked about Congress' claims of conducting six surgical strikes during the UPA regime.

Congress leader Rajiv Shukla had earlier told reporters at the AICC briefing that six surgical strikes were conducted during Manmohan Singh government.

Shukla had stated that two surgical strikes were carried out when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister--one on January 21, 2000, in Nadala Enclave across the Neelam River and second on September 18, 2003, in Baroh Sector in Poonch.

Meanwhile at the press conference today, Lt General Singh said that airstrikes by the Indian Air Force on terrorist infrastructure in Balakot was a major achievement.

He said that Indian aircraft went deep into enemy territory and launched preemptive strikes across terror launchpads in Pakistan.

"Pakistanis carried out air operations the following day, however they were given a befitting reply," Singh said.

Forty Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in the deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on February 14 when a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into the CPRF convoy.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi had launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising suspicion over the claims of the surgical strike during UPA regime and asserted that doing so is an insult to the Army.

Address a media briefing in Delhi, Gandhi said: "The Army, Air Force or Navy is not personal properties of Narendra Modi ji like he thinks. When he says that surgical strikes during UPA were done in video games then he is not insulting Congress, but the Army. These air strikes were done by the Army and we do not politicize the Army. The Prime Minister should not insult the Army."

Congress party claimed that six surgical strikes were conducted during former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's regime from 2004 to 2014.

However, two former Army Chief of Staffs (COAS) denied any knowledge of such surgical strikes under Congress. General Ved Malik, who was COAS during the Kargil War, and General VK Singh, who’s now a union minister and BJP member both denied any such incidents.

General Malik wrote: “Cannot think of any such incidents where political leadership asked armed forces to carry out such a strike or gave assent to such plans by armed forces except one in 1984: to pre-empt Pakistan Army and occupy Soltoro range in Siachen Sector.”

Meanwhile, Gen VK Singh added: “Congress has a habit of lying. Will you please let me know which ‘So called Surgical Strike’ are you attributing to my tenure as COAS. Am sure you must have hired some Coupta to invent another story.”