"Too much hype over surgical strike": Former army officer
Chandigarh : The initial euphoria over the success of the surgical strike was natural but the constant hype around it is unwarranted, said a former Army officer who was associated with the operation. "I do think there was too much hype over it. The military operation was important and we had to do it. Now how much should it have been politicised, whether it is right or wrong is something that should be asked to politicians," said Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retired) who was the Northern Army Commander when the operation was carried out on September 29, 2016 across the Line of Control (LoC).
Lt. General Hooda saw the live video feed of the surgical strike, which was launched in retaliation to the Uri terror attack in which 19 Indian soldiers were killed by Pakistani terrorists. The Army had said its special forces inflicted "significant casualties" on terrorists waiting there to cross into Indian territory.
Lt. General Hooda had approved the plans for special forces to retaliate less than two weeks after the Uri terror attack. The army officer made the comments in Chandigarh, where he attended the Military Literature Festival (MLF).
The Army officer participated in a panel discussion on the topic "Role of Cross-Border Operations and Surgical Strikes", which was attended by Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore and a number of former Generals and Army Commanders. Many war veterans cautioned against "politicisation" of military operations.
Lt. General Hooda said it was natural to have initial euphoria about the success but the constant maintenance of hype around the military operations was unwarranted, the release said.
Responding to a question from the audience, General Hooda said in hindsight, it would have been better had we done it (surgical strikes) secretly.The aim of any such offensive had to be not only tactical but strategic too, which substantially hampers enemy morale, he said.
Citing the example of the 1981 Israeli air strikes on Iraqi nuclear sites, which had caused considerable damage, Lt General (retd) N S Brar underscored the need to ensure long-term impact on the enemy before undertaking any such operation in the future.
Cautioning the political masters against being adventurists, General Brar asked if the political masters would have taken responsibility had there been any causalities in the strikes, the release said quoting him.
courtesy : ndtv.com
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2 people killed in collision between jet and vehicle at New York's LaGuardia Airport, source says
New York (AP): An Air Canada regional jet struck a firetruck on the runway after landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport late Sunday, crushing the nose of the plane, according to authorities and photos of the wreckage.
Two people were killed, according to a person familiar with the investigation into the crash. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an active investigation.
There were 72 passengers and four crew members aboard the aircraft, a Jazz Aviation flight operating on behalf of Air Canada, according to a statement from the airline. The flight originated at Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, the major airport serving Montreal.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement that the jet had struck a rescue and firefighting vehicle that was responding to a separate incident at about 11:45 p.m. The airport was closed as of 3 am to facilitate the investigation, officials said.
Photos and videos from the scene showed severe damage to the front of the aircraft, with cables and debris hanging from a mangled cockpit. Nearby, a damaged emergency vehicle lay on its side.
Stairways used to evacuate passengers from aircraft were pushed up to the emergency exits on the jet, a Bombardier CRJ. The impact left the jet with its crumpled nose tilted upward.
Jazz Aviation issued a statement confirming the accident and noting the passenger and crew list was preliminary and subject to confirmation.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating the incident.
