Carrying out pre-dawn punitive air strikes on Tuesday, Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter planes obliterated Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) training camps deep inside Balakot in Pakistan. The Government officially confirmed the action as "non-military pre-emptive strike" against JeM terrorists and not against Pakistan. Sources said, the precision bombing destroyed the JeM's biggest training centre located at Jaba hills in Balakot town of Khyber-Pakhtoonwa region. The bombings neutralised around 200-300 terrorists besides destroying huge dumps of arms and ammunition.
Briefing the media, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said, "In an intelligence led operation in the early hours, India struck the biggest training camp of JeM in Balakot." "In this operation, a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being trained for fidayeen action were eliminated. The facility at Balakot was headed by Maulana Yousuf Azhar alias Ustaad Ghouri, the brother-in-law of Masood Azhar, Chief of JeM." There were unconfirmed reports that Yousuf Azhar was eliminated in the air strikes.
The secretary said a pre-emptive strike became absolutely necessary as there was credible intelligence that JeM was attempting another suicide terror attack in various parts of the country.
- Non-military, pre-emptive attack on JeM terrorists not Pakistan, says govt
- 12 Mirage 2000 fighter jets crossed LoC from Keran sector in the wee hours
- Past midnight, PM Modi arrived at the Operation Room in South Block
The IAF played a perfect mind game before accomplishing their operation. Two units of IAF fighters had kept Pakistan Air Force (PAF) engaged in two sectors, -Lahore-Sialkot border and Okara-Bahawalpur sector, while the third one managed to enter into Pakistani controlled territory from Keran-Athamuqam border. Pakistan Army spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor also admitted that their Combat Air Patrol (CAP) mission had challenged IAF fighters, when they were 7-8 nautical miles near Lahore-Sialkot border. Second Indian formation was spotted at Okara-Bahawalpur sector. It is believed that IAF had used the ploy to distract PAF patrol missions to allow third relatively heavier formation to enter into their territory from Keran. Till they could scramble and confront this formation, it had returned to Indian territory after successfully bombing the targets.
The deep penetrative strike was undertaken by 12 Mirage 2000 fighter jets which got scrambled from Gwalior airbase past midnight and crossed the Line of Control (LOC) from Keran sector in the wee hours, said sources.
The fighter jets flew past Muzaffarabad in PoK, crossed over Garhi Habibullah, first town of Manshera district of Khyber-Pakhtoonwa region of Pakistan and dropped their payload of 500/1000 Ib Israeli laser guided bombs.
Agencies are tracking chatter on the other side to assess the damage done at Balakot and to also ascertain the movement of Pakistan Army.
Sources said Balakot was chosen as the target because Pulwama attack planning was done there. "It is here where Pulwama mastermind Ghazi was trained. It is place where Border Action Teams (BAT) that has Pakistan army regulars and terrorists get trained for cross LoC raids. Recently, 60 JeM recruits underwent three-month training, including suicide bombing. It was also used to give aquatic training to recruits at Kunhar River," said sources.
Sources said the whole operation, right from entering the LOC to dropping bombs and reaching the safety of Indian airspace took less than two minutes, giving no time to the Pakistan Airforce to react.
The decision of punitive action against JeM was taken at the CCS meeting on February 15 immediately after the Pulwama attack of February 14 in which 40 CRPF jawans were martyred.
Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa was asked to prepare the plan. Sources said the targets were identified on February 20-21 with Army and IAF conducting air surveillance along the LoC.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the Defence headquarters in South Bloc in the wee hours on Tuesday and entered the Operation Control Room at the Directorate of Military Operations (DGMO) wing, where he oversaw the whole operation before returning back to his residence.
Later, Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj briefed leaders of all the political parties about the airstrike. She emphasised that the action was meant only against terrorists and not Pakistan. The Opposition parties commended the IAF for their exemplary courage.
IC-814 hijack planner believed to be killed
- Yousuf Azhar (aka Ustad Ghouri or Mohammed Salim) was the brother-in-law of JeM chief Masood Azhar
- Headed terror facilities between Balakot and Mansehra at Jaba
- Planned the hijacking of Indian Airline flight IC 814 to Kandahar in 1999 to ensure release of JeM chief
- Appeared in the list of 20 fugitives handed over by India in 2002
- He was named in the Interpol list of wanted criminals
- CBI charge sheet claims entire operation was masterminded by Harkat-ul-Mujahideen’s agents and aided by Pakistan’s ISI
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 "Paramjeet Singh Pamma celebrating air Strike on JeM")
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