A deadly terror attack at the popular tourist area of Pahalgam in South Kashmir on Tuesday (April 22) left 27 dead and at least 20 others injured, officials confirmed. The attack is one of the biggest attacks on civilians and tourists in decades of terror violence in Jammu and Kashmir.

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However, India, a nation that values peace, has never shied away from striking back when its citizens and sovereignty are under threat. Here's how the country has answered some of the deadliest terrorist attacks with grit, strategy, and strength.

Also Read: LeT top commander orchestrated Pahalgam terror attack: Sources

2016 Uri attack: The surgical strike

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The 2016 Uri attack was carried out on 18 September 2016 by four Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists from Pakistan against an Indian Army brigade headquarters near the town of Uri in Jammu and Kashmir. 19 Indian soldiers were killed in the attack, and 19–30 others were injured

India’s response: Nearly 10 days after the Uri attack that claimed lives of 19 Indian soldiers, India carried out surgical strikes in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, inflicting heavy casualties on terrorists and 'those protecting them’ and indicating a change of stand on the rules of engagement on the disputed line of control.

On 29 September 2016, teams of Indian Army commandos crossed the Line of Control into Pakistani-administered Kashmir to attack targets up to a kilometer within territory held by Pakistan. The raid occurred ten days after four militants had attacked an Indian army outpost at Uri on 18 September 2016. Estimates of casualties from India's cross-border attack varied widely, with figures of 12 to 70 being reported. The Pakistani government eventually acknowledged the deaths of two soldiers and injuries to nine.

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The Indian government termed the attack a surgical strike against ‘militant launch pads’ in Pakistani territory.

2019 Pulwama attack: The Balakot airstrikes

The 2019 Pulwama attack occurred on 14 February, 2019, when a convoy of vehicles carrying Indian security personnel on the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber at Lethapora in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. The attack killed 40 Indian Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. The responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist group, Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Also Read: TV actors Dipika Kakar and Shoaib Ibrahim left Kashmir hours before Pahalgam attack

India’s response: On February 26, 2019, India launched a precision airstrike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) training camp in Balakot, located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The strike was in response to the Pulwama suicide bombing just 12 days earlier, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. India, armed with satellite imagery, intelligence reports, and eyewitness accounts, provided evidence of a successful strike that neutralized a significant number of terrorists.

India’s message to terror outfits and their sponsors is now unequivocal: There will be consequences. Whether through covert intelligence missions, surgical precision, or airpower, India has shown it is prepared to retaliate — not just react.