India marked the sixth anniversary of the Balakot airstrike on Wednesday, celebrating the Indian Air Force's (IAF) surgical strike against terror camps in retaliation for the Pulwama attack.
The operation, carried out at dawn on February 26, 2019, was a retaliatory action against the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camp in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). The strike was against a Balakot-based terror training camp, marking India's strong resolve against cross-border terrorism.
Code-named Operation Bandar, the operation took around 21 minutes, in which 16 planes flew across the Line of Control (LoC) into PoK. Twelve of the planes, carrying Spice 2000 and Crystal Maze missiles, targeted the Balakot camp, while four stayed behind in Indian airspace as reserve. The operation was carried out by the IAF's seventh and ninth squadrons.
Intelligence had located the Balakot camp as one of JeM's main training hubs, utilized to train militants for high-impact terror operations. Reports indicated that the facility accommodated a large number of operatives, including top commanders,.
The airstrike was a retaliation against the February 14, 2019, Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed when a vehicle-borne suicide bomber attacked their convoy in Lethapora, Jammu and Kashmir.
The Indian government later confirmed the success of the airstrike, which was the first aerial combat by India against Pakistan since the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
Marking the event, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath tweeted on X:
"On the 6th anniversary of Balakot Air Strike, a humble tribute to the boundless courage and unflinching bravery of the gallant air warriors of @IAF_MCC! This daring mission is a testament to the strength of the 'New India,' the zero-tolerance attitude of our nation towards terrorism, and the incredible tactical brilliance and exceptional strategic acumen of the air warriors. Jai Hind!"
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