In a swift and precise air strike following the Pulwama attack, India bombed and destroyed Jaish-e-Mohammed’s biggest training camp in Pakistan early Tuesday, killing a “very large number” of terrorists, trainers and senior commanders, various news agencies reported.
India’s foreign secretary has confirmed India struck the biggest training camp of Jaish e Mohammed (JeM) in Balakot in the wee hours of Tuesday.
“Credible intelligence was received that JeM was attempting another suicide terror attack in various parts of the country, and the fidayeen jihadis were being trained for this purpose. In the face of imminent danger, a preemptive strike became absolutely necessary,” Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said at a press conference.
“In an intelligence-led operation in the early hours of today (Tuesday), India struck the biggest training camp of JeM in Balakot. In this operation, a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being trained for fidayeen action were eliminated,” Vijay Gokhale added.
“First, they committed aggression against Pakistan today. It is a violation of the LoC. I consider it a violation of the LoC, and Pakistan his right to give a suitable response in self-defence,” Pakistan foreign minister told reporters after an “emergency meeting” with high-level officials.
The government has convened an all-party meeting Tuesday evening where External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will brief the leaders of opposition parties on the surgical strike against JeM terror camps in Pakistan.
