Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday lauded Indian Air Force for conducting Aerial Strikes cross LoC destroying Terror Launch Pads in Pakistan. Congress President Rahul Gandhi in a tweet said, ‘I salute the pilots of the IAF’. Gandhi also put out the Indian flag along with his tweet.
🇮🇳 I salute the pilots of the IAF. 🇮🇳
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 26, 2019
The Congress also tweeted, lauding the role of the Indian Air Force in keeping Indians safe with its consistent and determined effort. “We salute the @IAF_MCC for their consistent & determined effort to keep Indians safe. Jai Hind,” the Congress said on its official Twitter handle.
We salute the @IAF_MCC for their consistent & determined effort to keep Indians safe.
Jai Hind. https://t.co/RmfHQNlwH4— Congress (@INCIndia) February 26, 2019
While Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also lauded Indian Air Force. He said in a tweet, ‘I salute the bravery of Indian Air Force pilots who have made us proud by striking terror targets in Pakistan’.
I salute the bravery of Indian Air Force pilots who have made us proud by striking terror targets in Pakistan
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 26, 2019
12 Days after the deadliest Pulwama Terror Attack, Indian Air Force in the early hours of Tuesday carried out aerial Strikes destroying major Terror Camps in Pakistan. Sources as quoted news agency ANI claimed that ‘Balakot, Chakothi, and Muzaffarabad terror launch pads across the LOC completely destroyed in IAF air strikes. JeM control rooms also destroyed’.
Indian Air Force sources claimed that ’12 Mirage 2000 jets took part in the operation that dropped 1000 Kg bombs on terror camps across LOC, completely destroying it’. Sources further claimed that aerial strikes were carried at early hours at around 03:30 on Tuesday.
1000 Kg bombs were dropped on terror camps across the LoC, sources further claimed.
READ: IAF Carries Out Aerial Strike across LoC; Destroys Balakot, Chakothi, Muzaffarabad terror launch pads: Sources
Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale in an Official Residence said, ‘Credible intelligence was received that Jaish-e-Mohammed was attempting another suicide terror attack in various parts of the country & fidayeen jihadis were being trained for this purpose’.
He added in an Official Press Conference, ‘In an intelligence lead operation in the early hours today, India struck the biggest training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Balakot. In this operation, a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commander & Jihadis were eliminated’
Foreign Secretary said, “This facility in Balakot was headed by Maulana Yusuf Azhar alias Ustad Ghauri, brother in law of JeM Chief Masood Azhar…The selection of the target was also conditioned by our desire to avoid civilian casualty. It’s located in a deep forest on a hilltop”
#WATCH Foreign Secy says,"This facility in Balakot was headed by Maulana Yusuf Azhar alias Ustad Ghauri, brother in law of JeM Chief Masood Azhar…The selection of the target was also conditioned by our desire to avoid civilian casualty. It's located in deep forest on a hilltop" pic.twitter.com/QENnnkU5Rh
— ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2019
Following the Air Strike, Central Government called highly level Meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security at PM Official Residence. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi were present at the meeting.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and other top officials of the prime minister’s office and the security apparatus were present at the meeting, official sources said.
The development comes amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan after the February 14 suicide attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group that killed 40 CRPF soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
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