Amit Shah hails IAF on 2nd anniversary of Balakot air strikes

On the second anniversary of Balakot air strikes, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the Indian Air Force (IAF) had again made clear the policies of New India against terrorism by responding to the Pulwama terror attack.

"On this day in 2019, the Indian Air Force had again made clear the policies of New India against terrorism by responding to the Pulwama terror attack," the Home Minister tweeted.

Shah also paid homage to the martyrs of the Pulwama attack and said the country and its soldiers are safe under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"I remember the martyrs of the Pulwama attack and salute to the courage of IAF for air strikes. The country and its soldiers are safe under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he tweeted (roughly translated from Hindi).

On February 14, Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) targeted a CRPF convoy on the Jammu-Srinagar highway near Pulwama in South Kashmir killing 40 CPRF personnel.

Days later IAF launched an air-strike on a JeM camp in Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

The air-strike was launched in the early hours of February 26 and Pakistan's efforts to launch an offensive the next day to target Indian military installations in Jammu and Kashmir was thwarted by an alert IAF.

In the dogfight, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, flying a MiG-21 Bison fighter plane and chasing Pakist jets, crossed over to PoK where his aircraft was shot down. He was taken into custody by Pakistan. India also shot down a Pakist fighter jet.

( With inputs from ANI )