New Delhi, April 13 : The Indian Army, on Saturday, paid tribute its bravehearts who sacrificed their life in the line of duty, on the occasion of 40th Siachen Day.

As 'Operation Meghdoot', launched on April 13, 1984, completed 40 years, the Indian Army posted on its official X handle: "Four decades of valour at the highest battlefield on Earth."

"Quartered in snow, silent to remain. When the bugle calls, they shall rise and march again," Fire and Fury Corps of the Indian Army posted on social media along with a video saluting the soldiers who launched the operation at the world's highest battlefield.

The ongoing operation, as the Indian Army details, was launched to wrest control of the strategic heights on the Saltoro Ridge, overlooking the Nubra Valley.

On this day, a platoon of 4 Kumaon led by then Captain Sanjay Kulkarni planted the first Indian flag on Siachen glacier at Bilafond La, marking the beginning of Operation Meghdoot.

It has since then been the ultimate operational frontier for the brave Indian soldiers who routinely operate at 20,000 feet and above in extremely challenging conditions.

"The military action resulted in Indian troops gaining control of the strategically located Siachen Glacier. It is considered as a feat unparalleled in the history of high altitude warfare where soldiers of the Indian Army and Air Force operate under most adverse weather conditions with sub-zero temperatures of minus 500 degrees Celsius," states the Indian Army.

Siachen lies in the Karakoram Range in northwest India. The glacier is 76.4 km long and covers about 10,000 sq km of uninhabited terrain.

/IANS