Barely two weeks after the dastardly terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama, killing 40 innocent CRPF personnel, Indian Air Force carried out a pre-dawn strike on a terror camp across the Line of Control. According to the reports, the strike was carried out at around 3:30 AM on Tuesday by 12 Mirage 2000 fighter jets.
IAF strike reportedly lasted not more than 21 minutes, right from take off till the return into Indian territory. The aircraft dropped 1,000 kg laser-guided bombs on a major terror camp across the Line of Control, completely destroying it. The joint training camps of JeM, LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen were hit.
According to the reports, Balakot, which is 24 kilometre northwest of Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, was struck between 3:45 am and 3:53 am. However, there is still confusion over whether this place falls in PoK or proper Pakistani territory. Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, was hit between 3:48 am and 3:55 am. Chakoti, was he last to be hit between 3:58 am and 4:04 am.
IAF operation in Pakistan Live Updates: Details of locations hit by IAF in Pakistan
What makes the strike a serious offensive against Pakistan is that Balakot falls beyond Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Army has issued a condemnation. Pakistan Army spokesperson, Major General Asif Ghafoor claimed that the Indian Air Force attack within the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir failed to cause any damage. He claimed that the Indian jets had to ‘hastily’ drop the payload in an ‘open area’.
In the terrifying Pulwama attack, a suicide bomber of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed exploded a car full of bombs next to a security convoy in which in which over 40 soldiers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed
Soon after the Pulwama terror attack, India had appealed to the international community to back the naming of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a “UN designated terrorist”.
Also read: Pakistan claims IAF violates LoC
