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Kargil War: Celebrating 17th anniversary of India's victory over Pakistan

26 July, 1999, that\'s when the Kargil War ended with India victorious over Pakistan. Today, India is celebrating the 17th anniversary of this very war. The war began in May, 1999, after the infiltration of Pakistani troops into Kargil districts of Jammu and Kashmir along the Line of Control (LOC). The war went on for two months. It is also referred as Operation Vijay, which was the name of the Indian operation, to clear the Kargil sector.

The 18,000 feet high-altitude battle in the rocky terrain was fought under extreme low temperatures. India positioned five infantry divisions, five independent brigades and 44 battalions of paramilitary troops in Kashmir and deployed 60 frontline aircrafts.

Tiger Hill, one of the highest peaks in the Drass-Kargil area of the state, was the main point during the war. The war resulted in the death of hundreds of soldiers on both sides and left thousands injured.

On 14 July, then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared Operation Vijay a sucess and India and Pakistan ceased firing. 12 days later, on 26 July, Kargil War officially came to an end. On that day, the Indian Army announced the complete eviction of Pakistani intruders.

Here are a few rare images of Indian army soldiers during the Kargil war.