Pakistani soldiers unload
an Mi-17 helicopter at
the Paiju administrative
post. Vital supplies
range from drums of avi-
ation fuel to construction
rebar to fresh eggs. For
troops deployed along
both sides of the Saltoro
Range, helicopters are
a lifeline. “Angels from
above,” one officer said.
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Soldiers assigned to
the 62 Brigade of the
Pakistan Army pause
beneath the Trango
Towers at the terminus
of the Baltoro Glacier.
“It’s difficult terrain,”
one says. “But we must
defend every inch of
our motherland.”