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India on Wednesday marked the sixth anniversary of the Balakot airstrike, carried out by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in response to the deadly Pulwama terror attack.
The airstrike was part of India’s campaign against cross-border terrorism and manifested the country’s willingness to take decisive action against terror infrastructure in Pakistan. The airstrike carried out in the very early hours of February 26, 2019, was a ‘punitive strike’ on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) facility in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) in which Balakot-based terror camp was destroyed.
Codenamed Operation Bandar, the entire operation — right from the aircraft entering PoK and landing back in India — lasted about 21 minutes.
A total of 16 aircraft, six each armed with Spice 2000 and Crystal Maze missiles, crossed the Line of Control (LoC) into PoK and hit the Balakot terror camp while four remained in the Indian territory as a backup.
The airstrike was carried out by the seventh and ninth squadrons of the IAF.
India’s Intelligence had singled out the Balakot facility as one of JeM’s largest training centres, where operatives were trained for suicide missions and deadly terror attacks. The intelligence inputs had indicated that the camp housed a significant number of militants, including senior commanders.
The operation was in retaliation for the Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldiers were killed on February 14, 2019. The attack was by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber at Lethapora in the district.
Later the same day, the Modi government confirmed the airstrike. The airstrike was the first aerial shootdown carried out by India in Pakistan since the India-Pakistan war of 1971.
Commemorating the day, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath posted on his X handle, “On the 6th anniversary of the Balakot Air Strike, a grateful tribute to the infinite valor and unwavering courage of the brave soldiers of @IAF MCC ! This bold operation is a reflection of the might of the ‘New India’, our nation’s zero tolerance policy against terrorism and the amazing tactical prowess and unique strategic skills of the air warriors. Jai Hind!:
