Indian Air Force has carried out surprise air strikes on militant camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Twelve Mirage 2000 jets struck Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) terror launch pads at around 3:30 am early on Tuesday. The air strikes successfully destroyed the terrorist camps in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Muzaffarabad, Chakothi. Watch the live coverage of the surgical air strike on India Today TV.
The attack comes amid tensions that peaked after the Pulwama attacks on Feb 14 in which more than 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Indian government has confirmed the air strikes. "Air Force carried out aerial strike early morning today at terror camps across the LoC (Line of Control) and Completely destroyed it," minister of state for agriculture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said on Twitter.
Union minister Prakash Javadekar has said, "It was a necessary step by Air Force".This is the first time India's Air Force has crossed into Pakistan territory since 1971.The Pakistan army has alleged that Indian Air Force has violated the Line of Control.
Balakot, a town in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan, is about 50 km (31 miles) from the Line of Control (LoC), which acts as a de facto border between the two countries. The first surgical strike of this nature took place in 2016 after militants attacked the Army's Uri base camp and killed 19 unarmed soldiers in September 2016.
