Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday praised the pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) following reports that they crossed the Line of Control (LoC) with their fighter jets and returned after dropping a payload in Pakistan.
Taking to the official Twitter account, Rahul tweeted, “I salute the pilots of the IAF.”
?? I salute the pilots of the IAF. ??
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 26, 2019
Reacting to the strikes, Delhi CM Kejriwal in a tweet said “I salute the bravery of Indian Air Force pilots who have made us proud by striking terror targets in Pakistan.”
I salute the bravery of Indian Air Force pilots who have made us proud by striking terror targets in Pakistan
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 26, 2019
In fact, the official Twitter handle of Aam Admi Party(AAP) shared a GIF from the famous Bollywood Sunny Deol-starrer film, Border, to celebrate IAF strikes in Pakistan.
.@IAF_MCC ???#IndianAirForce pic.twitter.com/yGi2ZQygf3
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) February 26, 2019
The IAF operation came barely two weeks after the dastardly terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama which killed over 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 this morning 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.
Reacting to the news, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah expressed delight and said that “if true, this was not a small strike”. However, he said that he would wait for official word.
Wow, if this is true this was not a small strike by any stretch of imagination but will wait for official word, should any be forthcoming. https://t.co/bOFt7SXl43
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) February 26, 2019
Here’s how other leaders reacted to the strike
Congratulations to our brave air force for a brilliant operation across the LOC.
— Yashwant Sinha (@YashwantSinha) February 26, 2019
Jai Hind.
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) February 26, 2019
I salute the Indian Air Force and indeed all our Armed Forces. Congratulations @IAF_MCC
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) February 26, 2019
Salute the #IndianAirForce for pre-dawn air strikes on terror camps in defence of our Nation. #JaiHind
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) February 26, 2019