Victory at Tololing: 13 June 1999 - When the tricolour touched the heights

On this day, the Indian Army, under Operation Vijay, reclaimed the Tololing Top during the Kargil War.

- COL DEV ANAND LOHAMAROR

A HISTORIC DAY OF PRIDE: This victory was not merely the recapture of a strategic height; it was a thunderous blow to the enemy's nefarious plans and a spark that ignited national unity, resolve, and patriotism across the country.

BACKGROUND OF THE KARGIL WAR: The Kargil War began in May 1999, when the Indian Army discovered that Pakistan's military, in conjunction with terrorists, had infiltrated and occupied key heights in the Kargil sector. The enemy's objective was to cut off Ladakh from India by capturing the Srinagar-Leh highway (NH-1). This posed a grave strategic and political threat to India. In response, India launched Operation Vijay to expose the infiltration and reclaim the occupied territory.

The battle of Tololing was one of the longest and most fiercely fought battles in the history of Indo-Pakistan warfares that proved decisive for the victory of India in the Kargil War of 1999. It was one of the pivotal battles between India's armed forces and troops from the Northern Light Infantry, aided by other Pakistan-backed irregulars high up in the mountains of Drass in the summer of 1999. During the 1999 Kargil War, the Indian Army's casualties on the Tololing peak were half of the entire losses in the whole war as India lost most of its soldiers due to the icy heights and the treacherous terrain.

A turning point came on 13 June 1999, when Indian forces recaptured Tololing Top, boosting the morale of the nation and accelerating the counter-offensive.