Briefing the media in Delhi about the early morning raid on terrorist apparatus deep inside Pakistan today (26 February), Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale stated that the pre-emptive strike was necessitated as there were reliable intelligence inputs of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) was training more fedayeen suicide attackers for terror strikes against India.
The air strike was carried out by twelve Mirage 2000s jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Gokhale remarked that India has repeatedly provided proof and information against the JeM to the Pakistani government, but no concrete action has ever been taken against the outfit by them.
11.18am: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on the Surgical Strike 2.0: “Great job by the Indian Air Force”.
Great job by the #IndianAirForce. The #IAFStrikes have sent the much needed signal to Pakistan and the terrorists it’s harbouring – don’t think you can get away with acts like the #PulwamaAttack. Bravo to the #IAF men and my full support for the action.
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) February 26, 2019
He recounted the role of the group in previous attacks against India such as the Pathankot Air Force Station attack in 2016 and the 2001 Parliament attack.
He corroborated early media reports that the attack had targeted the JeM’s biggest training camp in Balakot in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Gokhale asserted that a large number of terrorists, commanders, trainers and those trained for fedayeen attacks, had been neutralised. He also revealed that the attack was being run by JeM supremo Masood Azhar’s brother-in-law Maulana Yusuf Azhar.
He stated that all steps had been taken to avoid civilian operation during the operation; the target was located in a forested area on top of a hill, away from any populated settlements.
12.16pm: Sushma Swaraj calls a meeting of all Opposition leaders at Jawahar Bhawan (MEA) to brief them on India’s air strikes at 5PM today.
12.15PM: A ceasefire violation by Pakistani security forces at the international border at Kanachak at Samba, reports Moneycontrol, adding that one Pakistani ranger was killed in retaliatory firing by the Border Security Force.
12.10pm: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi “warns India not to challenge Pakistan”.
11.35am: Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on the Surgical Strike 2.0: “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.”
11.30am: Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf rejects the air strikes conducted by the Indian Air Force. “We realise it’s election year, and a desperation across the border. Fact of the matter is, Indian jets were forced to retreat in haste by Pakistan army patrols and dumped fuel, which in their scramble they thought was a bomb.”
Gokhale remarked that India has repeatedly provided proof and information against the JeM to the Pakistani government, but no concrete action has ever been taken against the outfit by them.
He recounted the role of the group in previous attacks against India such as the Pathankot Air Force Station attack in 2016 and the 2001 Parliament attack.
He corroborated early media reports that the attack had targeted the JeM’s biggest training camp in Balakot in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Gokhale asserted that a large number of terrorists, commanders, trainers and those trained for fedayeen attacks, had been neutralised. He also revealed that the attack was being run by JeM supremo Masood Azhar’s brother-in-law Maulana Yusuf Azhar.
He stated that all steps had been taken to avoid civilian operation during the operation; the target was located in a forested area on top of a hill, away from any populated settlements.
