Indian Air Force (IAF) fighters crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and struck down terror camps in Pakistan on February 26, several media outlets reported. The air strike was carried out in the early hours of Tuesday morning in retaliation to the Pulwama terror attack which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF jawans.
About 12 hours after the attack, the Indian captain Virat Kohli took to his Facebook account and uploaded a photo from India's practice session ahead of the 2nd T20I against Australia in Bengaluru. The photo shows him stretching his leg in a motion depicting a kick. Captain Kohli opportunistically captioned the picture, "How's the josh?" and it is fairly obvious that Kohli was referring to the air strike carried out by the IAF.
The Pulwama terror attack had caused unanimous outrage in India as a Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) claimed responsibility for the tragic incident. India's air strike was a response to the incident which happened around 3:15 PM on February 14 when an explosive-laden SUV rammed into a bus carrying CRPF troopers.
"At 0330 hours on 26th February, a group of Mirage 2000 Indian Fighter jets struck a major terrorist camp across the LoC and completely destroyed it", reported ANI. The reports further stated that 12 Mirage 2000 jets took part in the operation that dropped nearly thousand-kilogram laser-guided bombs across the LoC.
"Pakistani F16s were scrambled to retaliate against IAF Mirage 2000s but turned back due to the size of Indian formation. Western Air Command coordinated operation", added the report.
Citing Indian army sources, the Times of India had reported that the attack which lasted 21 minutes destroyed terror pads in Balakot, Chakoti and Muzaffarabad, as well as Alpha-3 control rooms of Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit. Nearly 200-300 terrorists were killed in the operation, reported media outlets.
Former India cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag took to Twitter as they made their sentiments clear about this matter.
Our niceness should never be comprehended as our weakness.
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) February 26, 2019
I salute the IAF, Jai Hind ??
Our niceness should never be comprehended as our weakness.
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) February 26, 2019
I salute the IAF, Jai Hind ??
Meanwhile, Pakistan armed forces spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor tweeted, "Indian aircrafts intruded from Muzaffarabad sector. Facing timely and effective response from Pakistan Air Force released payload in haste while escaping which fell near Balakot. No casualties or damage." He added another tweet, "Indian Air Force violated Line of Control. Pakistan Air Force immediately scrambled. Indian aircrafts gone back. Details to follow."
Kohli will be in action against Australia in the second T20I in Bengaluru following which he will lead his Indian side in a five-match ODI series against the same opposition.
