JOIN USIAF strikes on Jaish camp: what went behind operation
On Monday night, Indian Air Force activated several of its base on the western front for an air strike on the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp at Balakot, which was eventually carried out by 12 Mirage-2000 IN fighter jets in a pre-dawn air raid.
The French origin fighter jets, which took off from Adampur in Punjab, however, were not the only combat jet in the sky. IAF's Su-30MKI also flew from Halwara though they were not part of the strike team.
There were support aircraft like airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) that flew from Hindon; IL-78 tankers that took off from Agra and several other aircraft that flew from the IAF bases in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan.
The purpose, sources told DH, was to create an elaborate camouflage for the Mirages-2000 to fly really low escaping the enemy radar and hit the Jaish terror camp at Balakot.
Located nearly 60 km from the Line of Control, the Balakot camp was one of the JeM's largest ones having 6-7 barracks where about 160 jihadists lived.
The number, said an officer, swelled to close to 200 in the last two weeks as the terror outfit pulled back several of its cadets in the wake of the Pulwama suicide attack in anticipation of a retaliatory strike by the Indian Army.
The camp in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is a place where JeM cadets were given both basic and advanced training under the supervision of Pakistan Army and ISI officials.
Maulana Yousuf Azhar (alias Ustad Ghouri), brother-in-law of JeM chief Masood Azhar was commander of the camp. Abdul Rashid Ghazi, one of the key suspects behind Pulwama attack, coached young recruits about IEDs in the camp.
All these factors were taken into account by the Indian security establishment while planning for the air strike over the last 12 days.
Soon after the Pulwama massacre on February 14, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa presented the option of air strike as a retaliatory option and received approval.
For the next 10 days, surveillance was collated from unmanned aerial vehicles, space-based assets and ground information to fix the target.
IAF's 1 Squadron 'Tiger' and 7 Squadron 'Battle Axes' were chosen for the task. The Gwalior based units flew to Adampur last week and had a practice drill two days before the strike.
Sources refused to disclose whether IAF jets entered the Pakistan airspace but pointed out that air-to-ground missiles and laser-guided ammunition being used by the Mirages could very well be fired accurately from the Indian side.
Since the Kargil days, Mirage-2000 remains the most preferred options for the IAF for precision attacks.
Two days after the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed, Dhanoa said, “We have the ability to hit hard, hit fast and hit with precision, hit during the day, hit during the night and hit under adverse weather conditions.”