On the first anniversary of the Balakot airstrike on terror camps in Pakistan, former Indian Air Force (IAF) chief BS Dhanoa, on February 26, said the operation brought about a paradigm shift in Indian military tactics.
Recounting the success of the operation where Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camps were bombed, he said: “It is a paradigm shift in the way we conduct our operations. The other side never believed that we are capable of successfully bombing terror training camps inside Pakistan.”
Former Air Force Chief BS Dhanoa: Basically, it's a paradigm shift in the way we conduct our operations. The other side never believed that we could carry out a strike inside Pakistan to take out a terror training camp that we successfully carried out. #BalakotAirstrike https://t.co/GV8yuLlC8S— ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2020
On February 26, 2019, a fleet of Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft had bombed a terrorist training camp inside Pakistan to avenge the killing of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in the Pulwama terror attack on February 14, 2019.
The retired IAF officer also said that the operation acted as a deterrent against terrorist attacks during the national general elections conducted through April and May 2019.
A dogfight had ensued between Pakistan Air Force and Indian Force the following the attacks where Pakistani jets had entered into Indian territory. One F-16 jet was shot down by the IAF, while Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured in Pakistan. He was later released and awarded the Vir Chakra.
