Raising the spectre of another war between nuclear armed South Asian neighbours, India and Pakistan, Indian airforce carried out air strike across the Line of Control (LoC) today morning. The strike was carried out at around 3:30 this morning by 12 Mirage 2000 fighter jets. The aircraft dropped 1,000 kg laser-guided bombs on a major terror camp across the Line of Control, completely destroying it, news agency ANI reported, quoting Air Force sources.
ANI tweeted, “Sources: Balakot, Chakothi and Muzaffarabad terror launch pads across the LOC completely destroyed in IAF air strikes. JeM control rooms also destroyed.”
Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, Spokesperson Pakistan Armed Forces tweeted, “Indian aircrafts’ intrusion across LOC in Muzafarabad Sector within AJ&K was 3-4 miles.Under forced hasty withdrawal aircrafts released payload which had free fall in open area. No infrastructure got hit, no casualties. Technical details and other important information to follow.”
India’s operation comes two week after the terror attack in Pulwama in which over 40 soldiers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed when a suicide bomber of the Jaish-e-Mohammed exploded a car full of bombs next to a security convoy. The Jaish-e-Mohammed, which is led by Masood Azhar, had claimed responsibility for the February 14 attack and had also posted videos of the bomber, who had joined the terror group a year ago.
Anticipating Pakistan’s response, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted, “The problem now becomes PM Imran Khan’s commitment to his country – “Pakistan will not think about responding, Pakistan WILL respond”. What shape will response take? Where will response be? Will India have to respond to Pakistan’s response?”
On September 29, 2016, the army had carried out surgical strikes on seven terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) in retaliation to an attack on its base in Jammu and Kashmir’s Uri earlier that month.