Once India regained control of the critical hills overlooking NH 1D, the focus shifted to driving the invading forces back across the Line of Control (LoC). Battles like the Battle of Tololing marked a turning point, slowly tilting the conflict in India’s favor. Pakistani troops at Tololing received support from Kashmiri militants, making the fight particularly intense. Some positions, such as Tiger Hill (Point 5140), resisted fiercely and fell only later in the war. At Tiger Hill, Indian troops encountered well-entrenched Pakistani soldiers, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides. The final assault claimed the lives of 10 Pakistani soldiers and 5 Indian soldiers, but ultimately, the peak was recaptured by Indian forces.

Several assaults took place atop previously unnamed peaks, identified only by their Point numbers, with fierce hand-to-hand combat marking many engagements. To support ground operations, India deployed about 250 artillery guns, which played a key role in targeting infiltrators occupying posts in the line-of-sight. The Bofors FH-77B field howitzers proved to be instrumental, with Indian gunners using the terrain to their advantage. However, in some areas, the lack of space and depth for proper deployment limited the effectiveness of artillery.

Aerial attacks were also used, albeit with limited success due to the challenging terrain. The Indian Air Force (IAF) employed French-made Mirage 2000H jets, which dropped laser-guided bombs to destroy well-fortified Pakistani positions. Despite these efforts, the IAF faced setbacks: a MiG-27 strike aircraft was lost due to engine failure, while a MiG-21 fighter jet was shot down by Pakistani forces. Initially, Pakistan claimed to have downed both jets after they crossed into its territory. Additionally, an Mi-8 helicopter was lost to Stinger surface-to-air missiles (SAMs).

On 27 May 1999, Flt. Lt. Nachiketa experienced engine trouble in the Batalik sector and was forced to eject. Sqn Ldr Ajay Ahuja, attempting to locate and rescue his comrade, was shot down by a Stinger missile. Although Ahuja safely ejected from his plane, his body was returned riddled with bullet wounds, suggesting he had been killed after capture.

Despite artillery and air power, many Pakistani outposts, well beyond visible range, could not be dislodged. The Indian Army had to rely on direct frontal ground assaults, which were slow, grueling, and incurred heavy casualties due to the steep climbs up peaks as high as 18,000 feet (5,500 meters). Daylight attacks were impossible, forcing Indian troops to advance under the cover of darkness in freezing temperatures, which often plummeted to -15°C to -11°C (5°F to 12°F) after accounting for wind chill.

Some military analysts later argued that a blockade of supply routes, effectively creating a siege, could have avoided such costly frontal assaults. However, this strategy would have required Indian troops to cross the LoC or conduct airstrikes on Pakistani territory—moves that India refrained from, fearing an escalation of the conflict and potential loss of international support.

By the second month of the conflict, Indian forces had recaptured most of the ridges and peaks that had been infiltrated. Official estimates suggest that 75%–80% of the intruded territory, including nearly all key high-altitude positions, was back under Indian control by the end of the operation.

Withdrawal and final battles

After the conflict erupted, Pakistan sought assistance from the United States to help de-escalate the situation. Bruce Riedel, a key aide to President Bill Clinton, reported that U.S. intelligence had detected the movement of nuclear weapons by Pakistan to forward deployments, fearing that the fighting could escalate into a broader war. However, President Clinton refused to intervene until Pakistan withdrew its forces from the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC). This led to the Washington Accord on July 4, 1999, in which Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif agreed to pull back Pakistani troops. After this agreement, the intensity of the fighting gradually decreased, although some Pakistani forces remained entrenched on the Indian side of the LoC.

Despite the diplomatic breakthrough, the United Jihad Council, an alliance of extremist groups, rejected Pakistan’s decision to de-escalate and chose to continue fighting. In response, the Indian Army launched its final offensives in the last week of July. Once the Drass subsector was cleared of Pakistani forces, the fighting officially ended on July 26, a day that India now commemorates annually as Kargil Vijay Diwas (Kargil Victory Day).

By the end of the war, Pakistan was forced to withdraw due to mounting international pressure and the continued intensity of the conflict on the frontlines. As a result, India regained full control of all territories south and east of the Line of Control, as outlined in the Simla Agreement of 1972.