Fierce fighting had been raging for this crucial peak at 17,000 feet to complete the Tuloling victory and to secure the National Highway 1-A. The Tuloling heights had been recovered on June 13 and since then the focus was Point 5140.

The artillery had launched perhaps the biggest offensive undertaken in any particular area after the 1971 war. The aim was to soften the target for infantry soldiers to advance. During the Tuloling operations, intruders had laid mines in some bunkers before abandoning them and this had caused army casualties. This time, therefore, the infantry didn't rush in.

In fact, when it became apparent that intruders were retreating, a de-mining team was first sent inside the bunkers, sources in the Drass Brigade Headquarters said. The air operations too had been reduced in this sectorfollowing the loss of four men and the Mi-17 helicopter. It might just have slowed down the operation a little but casualties too were limited.

However, fighter jets continued to fly sorties throughout the night carrying out precision bombing to demolish the bunkers. The climb to peak 5140 was slow and arduous, spread across four days, hiding behind boulders, dodging enemy bullets and shells, catching an eye-shut whenever possible and sending the injured down to Drass. From silencing one machine gun to another, lobbying grenades into suspected bunkers and fox holes.

``It was literally a bunker-to-bunker battle. And it was also an example of perfect coordination between infantry and artillery, the Army and the Air force,'' an excited officer said.

There were trying times too. As when one of the advancing infantry soldiers was injured but there were no stretchers. ``Despite sub-zero temperatures, a jawan took off his coat, parka and two others gave their rifles to make an improvised stretcher,'' anofficer said.

The artillery, to provide cover to the advancing infantry soldiers, kept firing Bofors guns and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launchers. All this while, the shelling from the other side continued, the Drass Brigade Headquarters was continuously hit.

Though the Tuloling victory is complete, the next target in the Drass sector is the Tiger Hills. ``It is just a matter of a day or two. Our boys have almost reached the top,'' a senior officer in Drass brigade headquarters said.