The day February 14 takes us to the pages of history when we lost our brave soldiers. Over 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were martyred in an attack plotted by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Pulwama, Jammu & Kashmir on February 14, 2019.
Bharatiya Air Force smashed the largest terror training camp of JeM at Balakot. For the retaliatory strike, an entire fleet of IAF Mirage 2000 fighter jets crossed the Bharat-Pakistan border.
In retaliation, Bharatiya Air Force’s Balakot airstrikes took place on February 26, 2019.
In the early hours of the morning of February 26, 2019, Bharat carried out airstrikes in just 12 days after the Pulwama attack. It was the first time since the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971 that Bharatiya aircraft carried out such an airstrike across the border.
About ‘Operation Bandar’
The complete operation was codenamed ‘Operation Bandar’. This was particularly named to maintain the secrecy. This could be one of the prime reasons behind naming it ie ‘monkeys’ have always held a very special place in Bharat’s war culture. In the epic Ramayana, Lord Rama’s lieutenant ‘Hanuman’ sneaked into Lanka quietly and destroyed the capital city of demon king Ravana.
Similarly, the Bharatiya Air Force sneaked into Pakistani soil and destroyed the terror camps.
About Balakot Strike
Over 12 Mirages took off from multiple air bases, which crossed over into the Pakistani air space and carried out attacks on the JeM terror camp.
Bharatiya Air Force dropped five Spice 2000 Bombs, while four penetrated the rooftops of the building where the terrorists were sleeping. The attacks were carried out at 3:30 am and Bharatiya Air Force jets returned to their bases within a few minutes after dropping bombs on their targets.
The aircraft which were used in the attack belonged to the No. 7 and No. 9 squadrons of the Bharatiya Air Force. Bharat also spread out a line of aircraft and weaponry from its arsenal, apart from the Bharatiya Air Force’s highly skilled pilots and the Research & Analysis Wing’s (RAW) accurate intel. Mirage 2000 were used to drop bombs on targeted sites, while a set of other Mirages with Su-30MKI combat aircraft kept the Pakistan Air Force planes away from causing any hindrance.
Outcomes Of Balakot Airstrikes
The significant takeaway from such strikes was calling out of Pakistan’s nuclear deception which it uses very often to blackmail ‘Bharat’ with a method of warfare. On a good note, Bharat conveyed its strategic intent that it will no longer be held hostage to such kinds of threats.
Bharat has not reported any high-profile terror attack in the country since the Bharatiya Air Force carried out such airstrikes.
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