Which one of the following statements correctly describes India's surgical strike mission carried out inside Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in 2016?

Introduction / Context:
This question checks current affairs knowledge related to India's security operations, specifically the surgical strikes conducted across the Line of Control into Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. These strikes were widely reported and became an important part of recent defence and foreign policy discussions.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question refers to surgical strikes by India across the Line of Control in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
• Different statements mention the year, the leading armed service, whether an official operation name was given, and any United Nations sanction.
• We need to identify the statement that is correct.

Concept / Approach:
The widely reported surgical strikes took place in late September 2016 and were carried out by Indian Army special forces against terror launch pads across the Line of Control. In public, the operation was generally referred to simply as surgical strikes, without an officially publicised code name. The mission was a unilateral action by India and did not involve explicit United Nations authorisation.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Examine the year in option A. It states 2018, which does not match the date of the 2016 surgical strikes. Therefore, option A is incorrect.Step 2: Option B claims that the Indian Air Force led the operation, but reports clearly identify ground based special forces of the Indian Army as the main executing arm, so this is incorrect.Step 3: Option C states that the operation was not given any specific name in public briefings and was referred to simply as surgical strikes. This matches the way the government communicated about it.Step 4: Option D mentions United Nations sanction, which is not applicable because this was a unilateral action for self defence, not an operation under United Nations command.Step 5: Therefore, option C is the correct description.

Verification / Alternative check:
News reports and official press conferences from 2016 described the strikes as surgical strikes across the Line of Control without revealing any internal operation title. The time frame was shortly after a major terror attack in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, further confirming 2016 rather than 2018.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A is wrong because the year 2018 is associated with other defence events, not these particular surgical strikes.
Option B is wrong because the operation was carried out by the Indian Army, not the Air Force, although air assets may have provided support such as surveillance.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates may confuse the 2016 surgical strikes with later air operations such as the Balakot air strike in 2019, which did involve the Air Force. Keeping the timelines separated in memory is important to avoid such mix ups.

Final Answer:
The correct statement is that the mission was not given any specific operational name in public and was simply referred to as surgical strikes.