Balakot Was Already Selected As Target On Feb 18; Only 7 People Knew Timings Of India’s Airstrike

Indian Air Force blew up the launch pads of Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists in Balakot between 3.40am and 3.53am on Tuesday. India avenged the death of over 40 CRPF officials killed in Pulwama terror attack 12 days back by putting around 200-300 Jaish terrorists to death in the bombings carried out by around 11 Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft.

Just like the surgical strike of 2016, the air strike was also a quick yet well-planned and reticent strategy. After the ghastly attacks of Pulwama, India’s external intelligence agency Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) began its research to look for the most appropriate targets of terrorist camps in Pakistan.

RAW soon came up with a list of six such targets. Balakot, JeM’s oldest training camp, and one run by Yusuf Azhar, the group’s founder Masood Azhar’s brother-in-law were on the top of the list, reported Hindustan Times.

Balakot met most of the conditions that India was looking for in the target. Namely:

1. This strike would send a right signal to the JeM, who were responsible for the Pulwama attack.
2.  The strike would cause equal or most probably more damage than that done in Pulwama.
3.  It would cause no civilian casualties thereby eliminating a threat of counter strike or censure from the international community.
4.  The strike would mark India’s step towards its right to defend and surely, not as an act of revenge.

Finalizing the target as Balakot, Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the air strike on February 18.

The strike was kept as secretive as possible. Only seven people in the country knew the entire plan and timings of the operation. Narendra Modi, NSA Ajit Doval, the three service chiefs, and the heads of RAW and Intelligence Bureau were the only ones aware of the actual plan of the airstrike reported Hindustan Times.

On February 22, the Air Force started flying night sorties from various bases in order to confuse the Pakistanis. Indian intelligence agencies found out the presence of 300-350 JeM terrorists gathered at Balakot launch pad on February 25.

They took an immediate decision of carrying out the airstrike on the same evening. Prime Minister knew by late evening that the strike could happen in the next few hours. The team of seven stayed awake all night, monitoring the operation.

Around 11 Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft took off at 1.30am on February 26 from different bases. Four of them from the Tiger Squadron launched either Crystal Maze missiles or SPICE 2000 smart bombs at Markaz Syed Ahmad Shaheed training camp at Balakot, Manshera, Pakistan destroying it completely. The fighters landed back in India at their respective bases at 4 am.

The entire country woke up to the news of India’s airstrike on Jaish camp in Pakistan. The well-thought plan of India’s quick retaliation towards the horrendous Pulwama terror attack has swollen chest of all the Indians with immense pride and honor.