Tribune News Service

Drass (Kargil), July 24

The 20th anniversary commemoration of the Kargil war victory that will continue for three days began in the highway town of Drass on Wednesday with the Army hosting a series of events.

The celebratory events to mark the 1999 Kargil win kicked off in the Drass sector — the ground zero of fighting two decades ago and also the home to some of the famous battles of the war.

The events on the first day included a training demonstration at Kargil Battle School, display of artillery equipment and showcasing of sports and cultural events.

The Army is hosting more events over the next two days to mark the victory. Several events are also scheduled at the Kargil War Memorial, built outside Drass town to celebrate the win in the war when the Pakistan army and irregulars were evicted from the hills overlooking the strategic Srinagar-Leh highway.

The 20th anniversary is being commemorated on a large scale. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the war memorial last week and paid homage to the fallen soldiers.

In the run up to the celebrations, the Army had organised commemorative treks, by the battalions which fought in the war, to the mountain tops in several parts of Kargil district.

In the past weeks, a commemorative trek was undertaken by 1/11 Gorkha Rifles to Khalubar in Batalik Sector at 17,000 feet to celebrate the battalion’s triumph in the war.

Another commemorative trek was undertaken to the symbolic Tiger Hill by 18 Grenadiers. Treks were also undertaken by 13 JAKRIF to Point 4875 and by 2 Raj Rif to Tololing Top.