India strikes back: Here's a timeline of the IAF's 21-minute-long operation on Jaish terror camps in Balakot, Muzaffarabad and Chakoti

The Indian Air Force struck and destroyed Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camps across the Line of Control in a pre-dawn operation on Tuesday, February 26.

As per sources, the strike, carried out by 12 of the IAF's Mirage 2000 fighters, lasted up to 21 minutes, and was carried out at three locations:

1. The strike at Balakot, which is 24 kilometres northwest of Muzaffarabad, took place between 3:45 am and 3:53 am. 

The locations hit in this strike were joint training camps of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.

2. The strike at Muzaffarabad took place between 3:48 am and 3:55 am

3. The strike at Chakoti took place between 3:58 am and 4:04 am

As per sources, the blueprint for the operation was discussed with Raksha Mantri Nirmala Sitharaman during her recent meeting with the three service chiefs in New Delhi. Risk assessment was done.

Here's what else is known:

• As per sources, it was the Indian Air Force's Mirage-2000 fighter jets, 12 in number, that participated in the operation. 
• The operation involved dropping 1000kg payloads on terror camps
• Alpha 3 control rooms of the Jaish-e-Mohammed were also destroyed in the operation
• The strike involved a low-fly run by the Indian Air Force's fighters.

READ | India Strikes Back, Destroys Jaish-e-Mohammed Camps Across LoC: All We Know So Far

The strike on Pakistani terror launchpads comes just short of two weeks after the heinous Pulwama terror attack in which a suicide bomber in an explosives-laden car targeted a CRPF convoy. 40 CRPF Jawans were martyred in the attack for which the Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility shortly afterwards.

READ | Mirage 2000: All You Need To Know About The Beauty That Destroyed Pak Terror Camps

In the days following the attack, the Indian government, including the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, have made clear that the Armed Forces had been given a free rein to avenge the attack. 

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