Tiger Hill, Kargil

Tiger Hill, Kargil

Tiger Hill or "Point 5353" is a mountain in the Drass-Kargil area of Jammu & Kashmir, India. It is the highest peak in the area and was the subject of the most famous battle during the 1999 India-Pakistan Kargil War. Its recapture was the most important objective for Indian forces during the Kargil War.

Strategic importance

Since Tiger Hill is the highest peak in the sector, the Pakistani forces who held the peak could easily see the military headquarters of the 56 Brigade, the main Indian force in charge of the area. The Pakistanis could also watch the Srinagar-Leh Highway, the main supply route of the Kargil Sector, and relay information of troop and supply movements to their superiors.

India could not allow this, since with this information, Pakistan could accurately and easily shell the Indian positions. Furthermore, the Pakistanis had infiltrated farther into the Kargil Sector, and India needed a good surveillance point to root out and destroy these posts.