Pakistan Air Force jets on Wednesday violated Indian airspace in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri sector and dropped bombs at four places near Army installations. They were immediately pushed back by Indian jets on air patrol.
No casualties have been reported yet.
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Reports said that the PAF also tried to target a medical facility of the Army in the Krishna Ghati (KG) sector but missed it.
The PAF is reported to have dropped bombs near the Army camps at Narian, Bhimber Gali (BG) sector and Kalsian. However, they missed all targets and the explosives landed in forest areas.
Pakistan has claimed the “strikes across Line of Control from within Pak airspace”, saying its “purpose was to demonstrate the right to self-defence”.
“This was not a retaliation to continued Indian belligerence. Pakistan has, therefore, taken strikes at non-military target, avoiding human loss and collateral damage. Sole purpose is to demonstrate our right, will and capability for self-defence. We have no intention of escalation but are fully prepared to do so if forced into that paradigm. That is why we undertook the action with a clear warning and in broad daylight,” said a Pakistani statement.
Pakistan fighter jet F-16 that violated Indian air space was reportedly shot down in Indian retaliatory firing 3 km within Pakistan territory in Lam valley of Nowshera sector.
A parachute was seen as the fighter jet went down. The condition of the pilot is not yet known.
Craters formed from Pakistani bombs were captured in pictures released by news agency ANI.
A girl received injuries in the Dreari village as Pakistan troops targeted civilian areas in the Manjakote area.
Soon after, all airspace at Jammu, Srinagar and Leh, close to the border with Pakistan, were shut down indefinitely, sources were quoted as saying by NDTV.
Airports in Leh, Jammu, Srinagar and Pathankot have been put on high alert.
This comes a day after the Indian Air Force carried out “non-military pre-emptive” airstrikes targeting the JeM training camp in Balakot in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, about 80-km from the Line of Control (LoC) early Tuesday, killing a “very large number” of terrorists, trainers and senior commanders.
In a 21-minute offensive, 12 Mirage 2000 jets carried out the strike at around 3.30 am and dropped 1000 Kg bombs on terror camps across LOC, completely destroying it.
The IAF jets struck terror camps and launch pads across the LoC in Balakot at around 3.45 am, Muzaffarabad at around 3.48 am and Chakoti at around 3.58 am.
Over 300 terrorists were reportedly killed in the assault.
Following this, heavy shelling was reported at several areas in Jammu and Kashmir along the Line of Control.
Five soldiers were injured in shelling by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) between Akhnoor in Jammu and Poonch on Tuesday.
