Bengaluru: Tuesday, February 26 was chosen for the pre dawn operation by the Indian Air Force (IAF) to bomb the JeM camps in Balakot, Chakoti and Muzaffarabad in PoK as the most fitting 13th day (tehrvi) tribute to the 40 CRPF jawans, who were martyred in a fidayeen attack in Pulwama by Adil Ahmed Dar, who was trained as a suicide bomber by the JeM.
The rehearsal for the incursion by the IAF had begun 10 days ago, two days after the government had received credible Intelligence inputs that the JeM was planning a second and more sinister suicide bombing attack in India,” said top sources. At the recently concluded Aero India show here, IAF Chief Birender Singh Dhanoa had reportedly insinuated that "India would do something soon" when asked for a response on Pulwama. “It was the first cross border attack by the IAF after 1971. Balakot is deep within the PoK and is more than 50 km from the Line of Control (LoC) from the Pakistan side and more than 80 to 100 kms from Uri in J&K. Another area in the PoK by the same name is in Poonch sector and close to the LoC,” said the source. As former J&K CM Omar Abdullah tweeted that “If this is Balakot in KPK then it’s a major incursion and significant strike.”
Air Marshal (retd) S.R.K. Nair told DC that the IAF operation was meticulously planned and executed to the last second with no room for error. “The entire package was airborne to make the mission successful. The IAF had the capability for the last 20 years. The country’s leadership gave the green signal only this morning. It was a dream mission, which was very well executed,” said the retired Air Marshal.
