India strikes main Jaish militants camp in Pakistani territory

Indian Air Force fighter planes dropped laser-guided bombs at a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp well across the Line of Control in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Balakote early on Tuesday morning, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said on Tuesday.

The IAF used Mirage-2000 jets with laser-guided 1,000-pound bombs causing an estimated casualty of 200-300, the sources said. The laser-guided bombs are built with Israeli technology and were first used in Kargil. The air strike happened around 3.30 am.

Foreign Secretary Vijay Keshav Gokhale described the strike as “a non-military pre-emptive action”.

Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours have been strained since a suicide attack earlier this month that killed more than 40 Indian troops.

India accuses Pakistan of allowing militant groups to operate on its territory and says it played a role in the 14 February attack - claims that Pakistan denies.

“Our army has demonstrated extreme bravery”, said Union Minister Prakash Javdekar in the first comment by a senior government functionary on the cross-border strike.

“The entire country is standing with the armed forces, he said, around the same time Prime Minister Narendra Modi met senior ministers and advisors for a review at a top security meet.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has welcomed the cross border action. In a tweet, he said, “I salute the IAF pilots”.

According to top government sources, the Balakote camp is spread around 6 to 7 acres and is the biggest Jaish e Mohammed camp in Pakistan.

A top intelligence source confirmed the strike at one of the biggest Jaish e Mohammed camp in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. According to analysts, the strike confirmed that India will deploy full spectrum deterrence if hit by a terror strike by Pakistan based terrorist group.

Pakistan’s Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations Pakistan, Asif Ghafoor, tweeted, “Indian aircrafts intruded from Muzaffarabad sector. Facing timely and effective response from Pakistan Air Force released payload in haste while escaping which fell near Balakot. No casualties or damage.”