Published 12:09 IST, February 26th 2021
2 years on from India's Balakot airstrike, here's how IAF had struck Pak terror in 2019
On Feb 26, 2021, Balakot Airstrike, which was the 1st aerial assault carried out by India in Pakistan after the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war completes 2 years
On February 26, 2021, the famous Balakot Airstrike, which was the first aerial assault carried out by India in Pakistan after the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, completed 2 years. The Balakot Air Strike was conducted in response to the deadly Pulwama terror attack that had claimed the lives of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Jawans. This airstrike was the brainchild of National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and was permitted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the security forces were given a free hand to avenge the worst terror attack on Indian forces in many decades.
At around 3:30 am on February 26, 2019, 12 Mirage 2000 fighter jets crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and destroyed the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Pakistan's Bakalot. Codenamed as "operation Bandar', the strike was conducted by the seventh and ninth squadrons of the Indian Air Force. The IAF had used the upgraded Mirage 2000s to carry out the attack inside the Pakistani territory.
How India planned Balakot Air Strike
The Balakot Air Strike was mainly conducted by 12 Mirage 2000s that flew from the Gwalior Aur Force base to avoid detection by the Pakistanis. The Mirage 2000s, flying three separate formations, flew over north and central India for hours before entering Pakistan.
Just before entering Pakistan, the Mirage 2000s, along with Su-30 MKIs, formed 3 separate formations. The Su-30s had played a major role in the strike as they caught the attention of Pakistani radars. In response to the formation of the Indian Su-30s, the Pakistani force scrambled a group of F-16 fighter jets and at the same time, the Mirage 2000s, which were heading towards Balakot dropped Israeli-made Spice 2000 bombs on the terror facility in Balakot.
Air Marshal Hari Kumar, who had planned and executed the Balakot Airstrike had said, "The choice of target and execution came with a lot of planning and intelligence inputs. It was important to send a message to Pakistan that India will not tolerate any more attacks like Pulwama."
It is also important to mention that IAF had also kept its team of Garuda commandos on standby for any kind of operations that may have been required due to any kind of emergency there.
How did Pakistan react to the Balakot Air Strike?
A day after the airstrike, Pakistan had tried to attack the Indian military installations in Jammu and Kashmir. however, the IAF had successfully thawed the attack by a full squadron of Pakistan F-16s but IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who shot a Pakistani F-16 from his MiG-21 Bison, was captured. However, Wing Commander Abhinandan was released by Pakistan after 2 days due to international pressure exerted by India.
What the then IAF chief said about the Balakot Airstrike
The Balakot Air Strike had helped India neutralise terror inside the Kashmir Valley and also helped it show its military capabilities. Former Air Force Chief BS Dhanoa had said that Balakot Air Strike gave Pakistan a message that India"gus kar maarega".
The former IAF chief had said, "Basically, it's a paradigm shift in the way we conduct our operations. The other side never believed that we could carry out a strike inside Pakistan to take out a terror training camp that we successfully carried out. After Balakot Air Strike, there was no major terrorist attack throughout the Indian elections because they were scared that we will respond again in the same manner or even more devastatingly."
The airstrike had killed an estimated 300 terrorists
Pulwama Terror Attack: A black day for India
Earlier on February 14, 2019, 40 Indian soldiers were martyred in one of the worst terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama. After the deadly attack, a Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) had claimed responsibility. A 22-year-old suicide bomber Adil Ahmad Dar rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the bus. The convoy had 78 buses in which around 2,500 personnel were travelling from Jammu to Srinagar. The attack, which was reported near Awantipora at nearly 3:15 pm resulted in the death of 40 CRPF jawans, while many others were left injured.
After this attack, India had also withdrawn the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to Pakistan and the whole international community had expressed its strong support to India in the wake of the terror attack. The memorial having names of all 40 jawans killed in the attack was inaugurated on February 14, 2020, at CRPF's Training Centre at Lethpora camp in Pulwama. The memorial is inscribed with the names of all the 40 troopers along with their photographs and the motto of the CRPF -- "Seva and Nishtha" (Service and Loyalty).
Earlier on Republic Day 2021, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) ASI Mohan Lal who lost his life during the Pulwama attack in 2019, was awarded the President Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG) posthumously. Mohan Lal was awarded the medal for spotting the IED-laden car and having fired to stop the car before it rammed into a bus in the convoy that killed the suicide bomber and 40 CRPF personnel on February 14, 2019.
Updated 12:09 IST, February 26th 2021