View source for 2019 Balakot airstrike

{{short description|Airstrike conducted by the Indian Air Force}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{infobox military conflict
| conflict    = 2019 Balakot airstrike
| partof      = [[2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes]]
| date        = {{start date|df=yes|2019|02|26}}
| image       = 
| place       = [[Balakot]], [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]], [[Pakistan]]
| coordinates = 
| map_type    = Kashmir#Pakistan
| map_relief  = 
| latitude    = 
| longitude   = 
| map_size    = 300
| map_marksize = 10
| map_caption = Location of the airstrike in Balakot, Pakistan
| map_label   = 
| territory   = 
| result      = *(26 February 2019) Indian bombing raid conducted within Pakistani territory.<ref name=lalwani-tallo-2019/><ref name=ian-hall-1/><br /> India claims to have struck the [[Jaish-e-Mohammed|JeM]] camp  in Balakot and  eliminated a significant number of JeM terrorists.<ref>{{cite web |title=Statement by Foreign Secretary on 26 February 2019 on the Strike on JeM training camp at Balakot |url=https://www.mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/31091/Statement_by_Foreign_Secretary_on_26_February_2019_on_the_Strike_on_JeM_training_camp_at_Balakot |website=Ministry of External Affairs,India |access-date=26 February  2019}}</ref><br>Pakishtan denies any casualties in these air raids<ref>{{cite news |title=India bombs targets inside Pakistan |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/2/26/india-bombs-targets-inside-pakistan |access-date=26 February 2023 |agency=Aljazeera |publisher=Asad Hashim}}</ref> 
*(27 February 2019) Indian fighter plane shot down over Pakistan-administered Kashmir and pilot taken prisoner by Pakistan; pilot released 1 March 2019.<ref name=gettleman-nyt-pilot-shot-down/> <br /> Indian Mi-17 helicopter brought down by friendly fire, killing six; admitted by India on 4 October 2019.<ref name=defense-post>{{citation|title=India admits friendly fire downed Mi-17 helicopter in Kashmir|date=4 October 2019|location=Washington, DC|publisher=The Defense Post|url=https://www.thedefensepost.com/2019/10/04/india-mi-17-helicopter-kashmir-friendly-fire/|access-date=9 February 2021|last=AFP|first=Staff Writer|quote=The Indian Air Force confirmed for the first time on Friday, October 4 that it shot down one of its own Mi-17 helicopters during clashes with Pakistan in February over Kashmir, killing all six on board.}}</ref>
| status      = 
| combatants_header = 
| combatant1  = {{IND}}
* {{air force|IND}}
| combatant2  = {{PAK}}
* {{air force|PAK}}
| commander1  = [[Air Chief Marshal]] [[Birender Singh Dhanoa]]
| commander2  = [[Air Chief Marshal]] [[Mujahid Anwar Khan]]
| units1      = Unknown
| units2      = Unknown
| units3      = 
| strength1   = Unknown
| strength2   = Unknown
| strength3   = 
| casualties1 = 
| casualties2 = 
| casualties3 = 
| notes       = 
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Indo-Pakistani Wars}}
| alt_text    = Jammu and Kashmir locator map
}}

The '''2019 Balakot airstrike''' was a bombing raid conducted by Indian warplanes on 26 February 2019 in [[Balakot]], Pakistan, against an alleged terrorist training camp.<ref name=jaffrelot-india-claim>{{citation|last=Jaffrelot|first=Christophe|title=Modi's India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=2021|isbn=9780691223094 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N7USEAAAQBAJ |quote=By way of response, Modi ordered air strikes to be conducted on Pakistani territory. A Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp was allegedly destroyed in Balakot. }}</ref><ref name=britannica-india-claim>{{citation|title=Encyclopedia Britannica|chapter=Kashmir|date= 11 November 2021|chapter-url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kashmir-region-Indian-subcontinent|access-date=15 January 2022 |quote=With a tough election cycle approaching, India's BJP-led government faced pressure from its supporters to take forceful action. Days later India sent fighter jets across Kashmir's line of control for the first time in five decades and later claimed to have conducted air strikes against the militant group's largest training camp.}}</ref> [[Satellite#Open source satellites|Open source satellites]] imagery has revealed that no targets of consequence were hit.<ref name=lalwani-tallo-2019>{{citation|last1=Lalwani|first1=Sameer|last2=Tallo|first2=Emily|date=April 17, 2019|title=Did India shoot down a Pakistani F-16 in February? This just became a big deal: There are broader implications for India — and the United States|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/04/17/did-india-shoot-down-pakistani-f-back-february-this-just-became-big-deal/ |quote=But these latest details about the India-Pakistan air battles threaten to discredit the BJP narrative and undermine its electoral prospects. Open-source satellite imagery revealed India did not hit any targets of consequence in the airstrikes it conducted after the terrorist attack on the paramilitaries. Additionally, reporting indicates that during the Feb. 27 air battle, friendly fire from an air-defense missile brought down an Indian military helicopter, killing six military personnel.}}</ref><ref name=ian-hall-1>{{citation|last=Hall|first=Ian|title = India's 2019 General Election: National Security and the Rise of the Watchmen|journal=The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs|volume= 108|year=2019|issue=5|pages=507&ndash;519, 510|doi=10.1080/00358533.2019.1658360 |s2cid=203266692 |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/00358533.2019.1658360 |quote=Ten days after these comments, on 26 February, Modi gave the order for air strikes against alleged JeM facilities. Significantly, the target – near the town of Balakot – was not in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, but in Pakistan proper.6 There the Indian Air Force (IAF) bombed a madrassa New Delhi claimed was a terrorist training camp associated with the JeM. The attack was acclaimed a success by the IAF, which claimed that several buildings were destroyed and up to 300 militants killed, but independent analysts suggest that it actually failed, with the missiles falling in nearby woods, rather than on their intended target (Ruser, 2019).}}</ref><ref name=markey-asia-policy-balakot/> The following day, Pakistan shot down an Indian warplane and took its pilot prisoner.<ref name=jaffrelot-pilot-shot>{{citation|last=Jaffrelot|first=Christophe|title=Modi's India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=2021|isbn=9780691223094 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N7USEAAAQBAJ |quote=In the operation, the Indian Air Force lost a plane and a pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman (who would eventually be returned to India and came back as a hero)}}</ref><ref name=britannica-pak-response>{{citation|last=Encyclopaedia Britannica|chapter=Kashmir|date= 11 November 2021|chapter-url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kashmir-region-Indian-subcontinent|access-date=15 January 2022 |quote=Days later India sent fighter jets across Kashmir's line of control for the first time in five decades and later claimed to have conducted air strikes against the militant group's largest training camp. Pakistan denied the claim, saying that the jets had struck an empty field. The next day, Pakistan shot down two Indian jets in its airspace and captured a pilot.}}</ref> Indian anti-aircraft fire downed an Indian helicopter killing six or seven airmen on board,<ref name=tarapore2021>{{citation|last=Tarapore|first=Arzan|title=Routledge Handbook of South Asian Foreign Policy|chapter=Almost Parity: Understanding the India-Pakistan Conventional Military Balance|publisher=Routledge|year=2021|page=413 |quote=India, for example,  launched an air strike in February 2019 in response to a Pakistan-based terrorist attack, against what it claimed was a terrorist training facility in Balakot, Pakistan – although it remains unclear whether the target was actually destroyed. Pakistan responded with its own aerial incursion across the Line of Control the next day, during which it shot down one Indian fighter, and Indian anti-aircraft fire shot down an Indian helicopter. Those skirmishes provide only small and anecdotal evidence, but they suggest two lessons. First, with an air strike of dubious effect, an unanswered loss in air-to-air combat, and a loss to friendly fire, India cannot confidently claim dominance in the air domain.}}</ref><ref name=ian-hall-2>{{citation|last=Hall|first=Ian|title = India's 2019 General Election: National Security and the Rise of the Watchmen|journal=The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs|volume= 108|year=2019|issue=5|pages=507&ndash;519, 510|doi=10.1080/00358533.2019.1658360 |s2cid=203266692 |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/00358533.2019.1658360 |quote=The following day Pakistan's Air Force sent some of its aircraft towards the LoC, enticing the IAF to pursue them. In the ensuing dogfight, an IAF MiG-21 was shot down and its pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, captured by Pakistani forces. In the confusion, there was more bad news for India, with an IAF Mi-17 helicopter accidentally shot down by friendly fire, killing seven}}</ref> their deaths receiving perfunctory coverage by Indian media.<ref name=jaffrelot-2021-helicopter>{{citation|last=Jaffrelot|first=Christophe|title=Modi's India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=2021|isbn=9780691223094 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N7USEAAAQBAJ |quote=... mistakenly shot down one of its own helicopters, killing six airmen. Despite the mixed results of these air strikes, Modi managed to portray himself as India's protector in a campaign dominated by nationalist and even warmongering rhetoric—largely because the fact that six airmen had died was hardly reported by the media.}}</ref> India claimed that a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet was downed, but that claim has been debunked.<ref name=markey-asia-policy-balakot>{{citation|last=Markey|first=Daniel|title=The Strategic Implications of India's Illiberalism and Democratic Erosion|journal=Asia Policy|volume=17|issue=1|pages=77&ndash;105|year=2022|publisher=National Bureau of Asian Research|doi=10.1353/asp.2022.0010|s2cid=246816912 |quote=The Modi government’s public mischaracterizations of the February 2019 Balakot airstrike and subsequent air skirmishes, including subsequently debunked claims of a destroyed terrorist camp inside Pakistan and India’s downing of a Pakistani F-16 jet, have already raised questions in the United States about New Delhi’s credibility and communications strategy in the midst of an exceptionally dangerous regional context.}}</ref>  The airstrike was used by India's ruling party to bolster its patriotic appeal in the general elections of April 2019.<ref name=jaffrelot-2021-April-campaign>{{citation|last=Jaffrelot|first=Christophe|title=Modi's India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=2021|isbn=9780691223094 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N7USEAAAQBAJ |quote=Modi managed to portray himself as India's protector in a campaign dominated by nationalist and even warmongering rhetoric—largely because the fact that six airmen had died was hardly reported by the media.}}</ref>

The airstrike was conducted by India in the early morning hours of 26 February when Indian warplanes crossed the [[Line of Control|de facto border]] in the disputed region of [[Kashmir]] and dropped bombs in the vicinity of the town of Balakot in [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]] province in Pakistan.<ref name=slater1>{{citation|title=India strikes Pakistan in severe escalation of tensions between nuclear rivals|author=Joanna Slater|newspaper=Washington Post|date=26 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{citation|journal=Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/26/pakistan-india-jets-breached-ceasefire-line-kashmir-bomb|title='Get ready for our surprise': Pakistan warns India it will respond to airstrikes|date=26 February 2019|author1=Michael Safi|author2=Mehreen Zahra-Malik|author3=Azar Farooq}} Quote: "Pakistan, ... said the war planes made it up to five miles inside its territory"</ref> Pakistan's military, the first to announce the airstrike in the morning of 26 February,<ref name="theguardian.com">{{citation|journal=Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/26/pakistan-india-jets-breached-ceasefire-line-kashmir-bomb|title='Get ready for our surprise': Pakistan warns India it will respond to airstrikes|date=26 February 2019|author1=Michael Safi|author2=Mehreen Zahra-Malik|author3=Azar Farooq}} Quote: "Pakistan, which was the first to announce the incursion, ..."</ref> described the Indian planes as dropping their payload in an uninhabited wooded hilltop area near Balakot.<ref name="nyt1">
{{citation|title=Indian Jets Strike in Pakistan in Revenge for Kashmir Attack
|author1=Maria Abi-Habib|author2=Austin Ramzy
|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/25/world/asia/india-pakistan-kashmir-jets.html
|date=25 February 2019}} Quote: "A spokesman for Pakistan's armed forces, Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor, on Tuesday posted on Twitter four images of a forested area pockmarked with small craters and debris, which he said was the site of Indian airstrikes."</ref>

India, confirming the airstrike later the same day, characterized it to be a [[preemptive strike|preemptive]] strike directed against a [[terrorist training camp]], and causing the deaths of a "large number" of terrorists.<ref name="SlaterConstable2019">
{{cite news |last1=Slater|first1=Joanna|last2=Constable|first2= Pamela
|title=Pakistan captures Indian pilot after shooting down aircraft, escalating hostilities |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/pakistan-says-it-has-shot-down-two-indian-jets-in-its-airspace/2019/02/27/054461a2-3a5b-11e9-a2cd-307b06d0257b_story.html 
|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |language=en 
|date=27 February 2019 |access-date=27 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227172333/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/pakistan-says-it-has-shot-down-two-indian-jets-in-its-airspace/2019/02/27/054461a2-3a5b-11e9-a2cd-307b06d0257b_story.html |archive-date=27 February 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Analysis of open-source satellite imagery by the [[Atlantic Council]]'s Digital Forensics Laboratory,<ref name="Atlantic-Countil-DFL">{{citation|title=Surgical Strike in Pakistan a Botched Operation? Indian jets carried out a strike against JEM targets inside Pakistani territory, to questionable effect|date=28 February 2019|url=https://medium.com/dfrlab/surgical-strike-in-pakistan-a-botched-operation-7f6cda834b24|journal=Medium}} Quote: "Indian fighter jets carried out strikes against targets inside undisputed Pakistani territory, but open-source evidence suggested that the strike was unsuccessful."</ref> San Francisco-based [[Planet Labs]],<ref name="reuters-balakot-3-8-19">{{citation|author=Martin Howell|title=Satellite images show buildings still standing at Indian bombing site|date=5 March 2019|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-kashmir-pakistan-airstrike-insi/satellite-images-show-buildings-still-standing-at-indian-bombing-site-idUSKCN1QN00V|publisher=Reuters|author2=Gerry Doyle|author3=Simon Scarr}} Quote: "The images produced by Planet Labs Inc, a San Francisco-based private satellite operator, show at least six buildings on the madrasa site on March 4, six days after the airstrike. ... There are no discernible holes in the roofs of buildings, no signs of scorching, blown-out walls, displaced trees around the madrasa or other signs of an aerial attack."</ref> European Space Imaging,<ref>{{citation|author=European Space Imaging|title=PAKISTAN: Satellite Imagery confirms India missed target in Pakistan airstrike|date=8 March 2019|url=https://www.euspaceimaging.com/pakistan-satellite-imagery-confirms-india-missed-target-in-pakistan-airstrike/}} Quote: " ... said managing director Adrian Zevenbergen. '...&nbsp;The image captured with Worldiew-2 of the buildings in question shows no evidence of a bombing having occurred. There are no signs of scorching, no large distinguishable holes in the roofs of buildings and no signs of stress to the surrounding vegetation.' "</ref> and the [[Australian Strategic Policy Institute]],<ref name="ASPI-balakit">{{citation|author1=Marcus Hellyer|title=India's strike on Balakot: a very precise miss?|date=27 March 2019|url=https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/indias-strike-on-balakot-a-very-precise-miss/|journal=The Strategist|publisher=Australian Strategic Policy Institute|author2=Nathan Ruser|author3=Aakriti Bachhawat}} Quote: "But India's recent air strike on a purported Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist camp in Balakot in Pakistan on 26 February suggests that precision strike is still an art and science that requires both practice and enabling systems to achieve the intended effect. Simply buying precision munitions off the shelf is not enough."</ref> has concluded that India did not hit any targets of significance on the Jaba hilltop site in the vicinity of Balakot.<ref name="WaPo1">{{citation|author1=Sameer Lalwani|title=Did India shoot down a Pakistani F-16 in February? This just became a big deal.|date=17 April 2019|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/04/17/did-india-shoot-down-pakistani-f-back-february-this-just-became-big-deal/|newspaper=Washington Post|author2=Emily Tallo}} Quote: " Open-source satellite imagery suggests India did not hit any targets of consequence in the airstrikes it conducted after the terrorist attack on the paramilitaries.</ref><ref name="guardian-saafi1">{{citation|author1=Michael Safi|title=Kashmir's fog of war: how conflicting accounts benefit both sides:India and Pakistan's differing narratives are not unusual in the social media age, say experts|date=5 March 2019|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/05/kashmir-fog-of-war-how-conflicting-accounts-benefit-india-pakistan|journal=Guardian|author2=Mehreen Zahra-Malik}} Quote: "Analysis of open-source satellite imagery has also cast doubt on India's claims. A report by the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab was able to geolocate the site of the attack and provide a preliminary damage assessment. It compared satellite images from the days before and after India's strike and concluded there were only impacts in the wooded areas with no damage visible to surrounding structures."</ref>

The following day on 27 February, in a tit-for-tat airstrike,<ref>{{citation|title=Pakistan captures Indian pilot after shooting down aircraft, escalating hostilities|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pakistan-says-indian-fighter-jets-crossed-into-its-territory-and-carried-out-limited-airstrike/2019/02/25/901f3000-3979-11e9-a06c-3ec8ed509d15_story.html |author1=Joanna Slater|author2=Pamela Constable|newspaper=Washington Post|date=27 February 2019}} Quote: The two days of tit-for-tat airstrikes ... the first since 1971, were triggered by a 14 Feb terrorist bombing in Indian-controlled Kashmir that killed 40 Indian security personnel."</ref> [[2019 Jammu and Kashmir airstrikes|Pakistan retaliated]],<ref>{{citation|title=India and Pakistan engage in a high-stakes game of brinkmanship|author=Amy Kazmin|journal=Financial Times|date = 1 March 2019|url=https://www.ft.com/content/3705ee32-3c17-11e9-b856-5404d3811663}} Quote: "A day after India's strike, Pakistan retaliated, sending planes to attack military installations in India."</ref> causing an Indian warplane to be shot down and [[Abhinandan Varthaman|its pilot]] to be taken prisoner by the Pakistan military before being returned on 1 March.<ref name="slater-constable">{{citation|title=Pakistan captures Indian pilot after shooting down aircraft, escalating hostilities|author1=Joanna Slater |author2=Pamela Constable|newspaper=Washington Post|date=27 February 2019}}</ref><ref name="gettleman-nyt-pilot-shot-down">{{citation|title=Deadly Shelling Erupts in Kashmir Between India and Pakistan After Pilot Is Freed|author1=Jeffrey Gettleman|author2=Hari Kumar|author3=Samir Yasir|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/02/world/asia/kashmir-shelling-india-pakistan.html|date=2 March 2019|quote=On Wednesday, Pakistan mobilized its air force and shot down an Indian fighter jet above Kashmir, capturing the pilot. On Friday, Pakistan released the pilot, Wing Cmdr. Abhinandan Varthaman, calling it a gesture to ease tensions.}}</ref> An Indian Mi-17 helicopter was brought down by [[friendly fire]] in which all six airmen on board were killed; this was acknowledged by India on 4 October 2019.<ref name="defense-post" /> The airstrikes were the first time since [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|the India-Pakistan war of 1971]] that warplanes of either country crossed the Line of Control and also since both states became [[List of states with nuclear weapons|nuclear power]]s.{{efn|name=NuclearPower|India became a nuclear power with successful ''[[Smiling Buddha]]'' operation in 1974 and Pakistan's successful operation of ''[[Chagai-I]]'' took place in 1998.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xUc4DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT336| title=Routledge Handbook of Asia in World Politics | publisher=Routledge |author=Teh-Kuang Chang |author2=Angelin Chang |author3=Brent T. Gerchicoff | year=2017 | isbn=978-1317404262}}</ref>}}

On 10 April 2019, 47 days after the airstrike, some international journalists, who were taken to the Jaba hilltop in a tightly controlled trip arranged by Pakistani government, found the largest building of the site to show no evidence of damage or recent rebuilding.<ref name=reuters-11april>{{citation|title=Inside the Pakistani Madrasa Where India Said It Killed Hundreds of 'Terrorists|date=11 April 2019|author1=Martin Howell|author2=Salahuddin|agency=Reuters|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2019/04/11/world/asia/11reuters-india-kashmir-pakistan-madrasa.html}} Quote: "Those visiting the site on Wednesday didn't see any signs that there had been significant building work to either clear structures or erect new ones. And the vegetation didn't appear to have suffered the stress that might be expected from a missile attack."</ref><ref name=bbc-april-10>{{citation|title=Balakot air strike: Pakistan shows off disputed site on eve of India election|date=10 April 2019|author=BBC|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47882354}} Quote: "They were given access to an Islamic school in Balakot, where Indian media say militants were killed in retaliation for an attack in Kashmir. The large building appeared to be fully intact ..."</ref><ref name=afp-balakot>{{citation|title=Pakistan takes media, diplomats on visit to Indian strike site|author=Agence France Presse|agency=AFP|url= https://www.france24.com/en/20190411-pakistan-takes-media-diplomats-visit-indian-strike-site |work=france24|date=11 April 2019}} Quote: "International outlets which visited the Indian air strike site in Pakistan found no evidence of a major terrorist training camp – or of any infrastructure damage at all."</ref><ref name=abc-14april>{{citation|title=The remote school at the centre of a dispute between nuclear neighbours Pakistan and India|author=Siobhan Heanue|journal=Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-14/india-pakistan-tensions-the-remote-school-at-centre-of-dispute/10996826|date=14 April 2019}} Quote: "One thing is clear: India's claim that it destroyed a militant training camp and killed more than 300 extremists cannot be backed up by the evidence. More than a month after India launched airstrikes inside Pakistan in retaliation for a militant attack that killed 40 paramilitary troops in Kashmir, foreign media have been allowed to see the areas hit."</ref>

== Background ==
{{Further|Kashmir conflict|Pakistan and state-sponsored terrorism|2019 Pulwama attack}}
The Kashmir insurgency has been occurring since 1989, but a new wave of violence was witnessed during 2016 when [[Burhan Wani]] ''then commander'' of [[Hizbul Mujahideen]] was killed in an encounter.<ref name=BBCnews/> In 2018, more than 500 people (including civilians, soldiers and militants) were killed in the violence.<ref name=BBCnews>[https://www.bbc.com/news/10537286 Kashmir: Why India and Pakistan fight over it] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224045738/https://www.bbc.com/news/10537286 |date=24 December 2018 }}, ''[[BBC News]]''</ref> On 14 February 2019, a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel on the [[Jammu–Srinagar National Highway]] was attacked by a [[vehicle-borne improvised explosive device|vehicle-borne]] [[suicide bomber]] at [[Lethpora]] in the [[Pulwama district]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], India. The attack resulted in the deaths of 46 [[Central Reserve Police Force]] personnel and the attacker. The perpetrator of the attack was from Indian-administered Kashmir.<ref>
[https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/15/world/asia/kashmir-attack-pulwama.html India Blames Pakistan for Attack in Kashmir, Promising a Response] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223135448/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/15/world/asia/kashmir-attack-pulwama.html |date=23 February 2019 }}, ''[[New York Times]]''. 15 February 2019. Quote:The militant who claimed responsibility for the attack, Aadil Ahmad Dar, was from a village about six miles from where the Indian convoy was struck, in contrast to the fighters and weapons that once streamed in from Pakistani-occupied areas to sustain the insurgency. And the explosives he packed into his car appear to have been locally procured, security experts said.
</ref> The responsibility for the attack was claimed by the [[Pakistan and terrorism|Pakistan]]-based [[Islamic terrorism|Islamist]] militant group [[Jaish-e-Mohammed]].<ref name="BBC isolate">
{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-47249133|title=Pulwama attack: India will 'completely isolate' Pakistan|date=16 February 2019|website=BBC|language=en|access-date=16 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215232429/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-47249133|archive-date=15 February 2019|url-status=live}}
</ref><ref name="TOI attack">
{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/37-crpf-jawans-martyred-in-ied-blast-in-jks-pulwama/articleshow/67992189.cms|title=Jaish terrorists attack CRPF convoy in Kashmir, kill at least 38 personnel|date=15 February 2019|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215181837/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/37-crpf-jawans-martyred-in-ied-blast-in-jks-pulwama/articleshow/67992189.cms|archive-date=15 February 2019|url-status=live|access-date=15 February 2019}}
</ref><ref name="IT everything">
[https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/pulwama-attack-2019-everything-about-jammu-and-kashmir-terror-attack-on-crpf-by-terrorist-adil-ahmed-dar-jaish-e-mohammad-1457530-2019-02-16 Pulwama Attack 2019, everything about J&K terror attack on CRPF by terrorist Adil Ahmed Dar, Jaish-eMohammad] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218104624/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/pulwama-attack-2019-everything-about-jammu-and-kashmir-terror-attack-on-crpf-by-terrorist-adil-ahmed-dar-jaish-e-mohammad-1457530-2019-02-16 |date=18 February 2019 }}, India Today, 16 February 2019.
</ref> Pakistan condemned the attack, and denied any connection to it.<ref>
{{cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1464205|title=On Kashmir attack, Shah Mahmood Qureshi says 'violence is not the govt's policy'|date=16 February 2019|website=dawn.com|access-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223190130/https://www.dawn.com/news/1464205|archive-date=23 February 2019|url-status=live}}
</ref>

The airstrike occurred ahead of the [[2019 Indian general election]].<ref>[http://time.com/5538756/india-pakistan-kashmir-tensions-airstrikes/ Tensions Between India and Pakistan Are at Their Highest Point in Decades. Here's What to Know] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228031451/http://time.com/5538756/india-pakistan-kashmir-tensions-airstrikes/ |date=28 February 2019 }}, ''[[Time (magazine)|TIME]]''.</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/26/india/india-pakistan-kashmir-analysis-intl/index.html|title=Why being seen as tough on Pakistan helps India's Modi|author=Analysis by Nikhil Kumar|website=CNN|access-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226183258/https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/26/india/india-pakistan-kashmir-analysis-intl/index.html|archive-date=26 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> On 19 February, Pakistani Prime Minister [[Imran Khan]] attributed Indian government's desire to attack Pakistan to the upcoming election.<ref name=bbc/><ref>
{{cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1464783|title=Pakistan will address actionable evidence if shared by Delhi, PM Khan tells India after Pulwama attack|date=19 February 2019|website=dawn.com|access-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190224101859/https://www.dawn.com/news/1464783|archive-date=24 February 2019|url-status=live}}
</ref> The Indian government rejected the allegation.<ref name=bbc>
{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-47290107|title=Pakistan warns India against attacking|work=BBC News|date=19 February 2019|access-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223090151/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-47290107|archive-date=23 February 2019|url-status=live}}
</ref>

==Incident==
On 26 February 2019, Pakistan announced the intrusion of Indian aircraft into its airspace,<ref name="theguardian.com"/> but asserted that the Indian fleet was intercepted, causing them to retreat, to release their bombs which hit an open area, and to [[Fuel dumping|dump their fuel]].<ref name="BBC26Feb">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47366718|title=Indian strikes target militants in Pakistan|work=BBC News|date=26 February 2019|access-date=27 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226193007/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47366718|archive-date=26 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> In a press briefing, Pakistan's Director-General [[Inter-Services Public Relations]] (ISPR), Major General [[Asif Ghafoor]], stated that three IAF teams were spotted approaching the Pakistan border from various sectors in the early hours of 26 February. He added that the two of these teams did not cross the border following a challenge from Pakistani aircraft flying [[combat air patrol]], but the third one crossed the Line of Control from the [[Keran, Azad Kashmir|Kiran Valley]] near Muzaffarabad before being intercepted by [[Pakistani Air Force]] (PAF) jets within three minutes of the incursion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1466161|title=ISPR DG debunks India's claims on LoC violation|date=26 February 2019|website=dawn.com|language=en|access-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226163237/https://www.dawn.com/news/1466161|archive-date=26 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/OfficialDGISPR/status/1100207947022565377|title=Indian aircrafts {{sic|nolink=y}} intruded from Muzafarabad sector. Facing timely and effective response from Pakistan Air Force released payload in haste while escaping which fell near Balakot. No casualties or damage.|last=Ghafoor|first=Maj Gen Asif|date=25 February 2019|website=@OfficialDGISPR|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226043211/https://twitter.com/OfficialDGISPR/status/1100207947022565377|archive-date=26 February 2019|url-status=live|access-date=26 February 2019}}
</ref> [[Pervez Khattak]], Pakistani Defence Minister, stated that the Pakistani Air Force did not retaliate at that time because "they could not gauge the extent of the damage".<ref name="Anderson2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1092994/pakistan-india-airstrike-latest-news-Kashmir-terror-attack-nuclear|title=Pakistan defence minister mocked after saying it was 'Too Dark' for airstrike retaliation|last1=Anderson|first1=Claire|date=27 February 2019|publisher=[[Daily Express]]|language=en|access-date=28 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228065741/https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1092994/pakistan-india-airstrike-latest-news-Kashmir-terror-attack-nuclear|archive-date=28 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="hudson.org">{{cite AV media|last=Pande|first=Aparna|title=Pakistani Military's Credibility Problem with Its Own People|
url=https://www.hudson.org/research/14842-pakistani-military-s-credibility-problem-with-its-own-people}}</ref>

Later on 26 February 2019, India confirmed the airstrike,<ref name="SlaterConstable2019"/> stating that the [[Indian Air Force]] conducted them in retaliation to the [[2019 Pulwama attack|Pulwama attack]]. The strikes were subsequently claimed to be "non-military" and "preemptive<nowiki>''</nowiki> in nature; targeting a [[Jaish-e-Mohammed]] facility within Pakistan.<ref name="Firstpost-2019-2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/india/iaf-struck-jems-biggest-training-camp-at-balakot-says-foreign-secretary-vijay-gokhale-on-indias-operation-in-pakistan-6154411.html|title=IAF struck 'JeM's biggest training camp' at Balakot, says Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on India's operation in Pakistan|website=Firstpost|date=26 February 2019|access-date=2019-03-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301140256/https://www.firstpost.com/india/iaf-struck-jems-biggest-training-camp-at-balakot-says-foreign-secretary-vijay-gokhale-on-indias-operation-in-pakistan-6154411.html|archive-date=1 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|Scholar [[Ayesha Jalal]] has mentioned, "Many recruits to the Jaish-i-Muhammad were trained in a madrassa in Balakot named after Sayyid Ahmad Shaheed".<ref>{{citation |last=Jalal |first=Ayesha |title=Partisans of Allah: Jihad in South Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y7VVWhi9jGIC |year=2009 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-03907-0 |pages=287–288}}</ref> Rana and Mir state describe its precise location, "At a distance of five kilometres from this village [Attar Sheesha] there is a dirt track on the left that leads up to the mountains.... If an ordinary person does reach the madrassa he is not allowed to enter. Even Jaishe Mohammed workers can only enter after a thorough search and a registration process.... Judging from the outside, the area of the madrassa is very large and there is a fort like entrance gate that has a Jaishe Mohammed flag flying atop it."<ref>{{citation |last1=Rānā |first1=Muḥammad ʻĀmir |last2=Mir |first2=Amir |title=A to Z of Jehadi Organizations in Pakistan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lNDXAAAAMAAJ |year=2004 |publisher=Mashal Books |page=226}}</ref>}}

The airstrike was the first time since the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]] that attacking warplanes had crossed the Line of Control.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47383634|title=India Pakistan: Kashmir fighting sees Indian aircraft downed|date=27 February 2019|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=27 February 2019|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227074808/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47383634|archive-date=27 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>
{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/02/26/indian-planes-bomb-pakistan-kashmir-tensions-escalate/|title=Indian planes bomb Pakistan as Kashmir tensions escalate|last1=Farmer|first1=Ben|date=26 February 2019|work=The Telegraph|access-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226052643/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/02/26/indian-planes-bomb-pakistan-kashmir-tensions-escalate/|archive-date=26 February 2019|url-status=live|last2=Bedi|first2=Rahul}}
</ref>

Indian media claimed to have confirmed from official sources that twelve [[Mirage 2000]] jets were involved in the operation. ''[[The Indian Express]]'' further reported that the Mirage 2000s were carrying [[Spice (bomb)|SPICE 2000]] and [[Popeye (missile)|Popeye]] [[precision-guided munition]]s and that they were supported by four [[Sukhoi Su-30MKI]], [[DRDO AEW&CS|Netra]] and [[EL/W-2090|Phalcon]] [[airborne early warning and control]] aircraft, an [[IAI Heron]] UAV and two [[Ilyushin Il-78]] aerial refuelling aircraft.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/iaf-air-strike-mirage-awacs-sukhoi-popeye-jaish-training-camp-balakot-5602272/|title=Wheel comes full circle: Balakot camp was run by IC-814 hijacker|last1=Singh|first1=Sushant|date=27 February 2019|work=The Indian Express|language=en-IN|access-date=27 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227034515/https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/iaf-air-strike-mirage-awacs-sukhoi-popeye-jaish-training-camp-balakot-5602272/|archive-date=27 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Furthermore Indian officials claim that four SU-30MKIs were launched from their South Punjab base and headed towards [[Jodhpur]] and on to [[Barmer, Rajasthan]] before turning West towards [[Jaish-e-Mohammed]] headquarters in Pakistan located in the populous town of [[Bahawalpur]]. These four aircraft, tasked as decoys, successfully drew PAF fighters way south of the main attack force.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/iaf-fooled-pakistan-with-decoy-fighters/articleshow/68238409.cms|title = IAF decoy fighters distracted Pakistan air patrols |website = [[The Times of India]]| date=3 March 2019 }}</ref>

After releasing the bombs, the jets returned into Indian airspace unharmed and the Indian media claimed that whilst Pakistan scrambled its [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon|F-16]] jets, they could not engage the Indian planes.<ref name="NDTV_90s">{{cite news|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/mirage-jets-hit-jaish-camp-operation-over-in-90-seconds-5-points-1999438|title=Jaish Camp Hit in 90-Second Op, Jets Returned Without A Scratch: Sources|date=26 February 2019|work=NDTV.com|access-date=27 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227053325/https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/mirage-jets-hit-jaish-camp-operation-over-in-90-seconds-5-points-1999438|archive-date=27 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Retired PAF Air Marshall Masood Akhtar opined that the air forces of both countries may have been instructed not to attack each other to avoid further escalation of conflict.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eurasiantimes.com/mirage-2000-jets-managed-to-bomb-pakistans-balakot/ |title=PAF Official Explains Why Pakistan Could Not Intercept Indian Mirage 2000 Jets During Balakot Bombings |website=eurasiantimes.com |access-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303110125/https://eurasiantimes.com/mirage-2000-jets-managed-to-bomb-pakistans-balakot/ |archive-date=3 March 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== The target ==
There has been ambiguity among the sources as to what the exact target was,<ref name="Ramzy">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/25/world/asia/india-pakistan-kashmir-jets.html|title=Indian Jets Strike in Pakistan in Revenge for Kashmir Attack|last1=Abi-Habib|first1=Maria|date=25 February 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=27 February 2019|last2=Ramzy|first2=Austin|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227012148/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/25/world/asia/india-pakistan-kashmir-jets.html|archive-date=27 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> and about whether the madrassa – ''Taleem ul-Quran<ref name="Firstpost-2019">{{Cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/india/indias-bombs-havent-killed-the-jaish-6178531.html|title=India's bombs haven't killed the Jaish|website=Firstpost|date=2 March 2019|access-date=2 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306045002/https://www.firstpost.com/india/indias-bombs-havent-killed-the-jaish-6178531.html|archive-date=6 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>'' run by Masood Azhar's brother-in-law, Muhammad Yusuf Azhar, was an active JeM camp or not.

According to a [[United States diplomatic cables leak|diplomatic cable leaked]] in 2011, a 2004 [[United States Department of Defense]] interrogation report stated that Balakot had "a training camp that offers both basic and advanced terrorist training on explosives and artillery."<ref name="aljazeera" /> In contrast, military analysts asserted that whilst the area used to host militant camps, they dispersed after the [[2005 Pakistan earthquake]] to avoid detection by the international aid groups providing relief in the area.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/world/asia/india-pakistan-kashmir-airstrikes.html|title=After India's Strike on Pakistan, Both Sides Leave Room for De-escalation|last=Abi-Habib|first=Maria|date=26 February 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=3 March 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190303061600/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/world/asia/india-pakistan-kashmir-airstrikes.html|archive-date=3 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

Indian intelligence sources claim that the camp was located in a hilltop forest, {{cvt|20|km|mi}} from Balakot, and that it was a resort-style facility, with space and room for 500–700 militants, including a swimming pool, cooks and cleaners.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/national/350-terrorists-killed-while-720412.html|title=350 terrorists killed while sleeping: Sources|date=26 February 2019|website=Deccan Herald|language=en|access-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227053325/https://www.deccanherald.com/national/350-terrorists-killed-while-720412.html|archive-date=27 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> ''The New York Times'' mentioned western security officials of having doubted the existence of such large-scale training camps, asserting that Pakistan no longer runs them and that "militant groups are spread out in small groups around the country".<ref name="Ramzy" />

The local people varied as to the purpose of the facility.<ref name="aljazeera" /> In the immediate aftermath of the strikes, whilst some claimed of it being an active Jaish training camp, others asserted it to have been a mere school for the local children and that such militant camps used to exist far earlier.<ref name="Reuters-2019" /><ref name="aljazeera" /><ref>[https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/as-it-happened-tension-mounts-after-indian-fighter-jets-cross-kashmir-frontier-bomb-camps-1.1551149047465 As it happened: Tension mounts after Indian fighter jets cross Kashmir frontier, bomb camps] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227053325/https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/as-it-happened-tension-mounts-after-indian-fighter-jets-cross-kashmir-frontier-bomb-camps-1.1551149047465 |date=27 February 2019 }}, ''[[Gulf News]]''</ref> On later visits by [[Reuters]], the locals claimed that the school had been shut down about a year back and was no longer operational.<ref name="Reuters-2019-2">{{Cite news|url=https://in.reuters.com/article/india-kashmir-pakistan-madrasa-idINKCN1QO26W|title=No access to Pakistan religious school that India says it bombed|date=8 March 2019|work=Reuters|access-date=8 March 2019|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190307205346/https://in.reuters.com/article/india-kashmir-pakistan-madrasa-idINKCN1QO26W|archive-date=7 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Damage ==
Neutral sources have asserted that the munitions dropped by Indian warplanes appeared to have hit several trees in a wooded area but caused no other damage, nor any casualties in the area where the attack took place.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/israel-india-pakistan-conflict-balakot-arms-trade-jaish-e-mohammed-a8800076.html?amp|title=Israel is playing a big role in India's escalating conflict with Pakistan|date=28 February 2019|work=Independent UK}}</ref><ref name="wiki11">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/02/world/asia/kashmir-shelling-india-pakistan.html|title=Deadly Shelling Erupts in Kashmir Between India and Pakistan After Pilot Is Freed|date=2 March 2019|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=27 February 2019 |website=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/26/pakistan-india-jets-breached-ceasefire-line-kashmir-bomb |title='Get ready for our surprise': Pakistan warns India it will respond to airstrikes}}</ref><ref name="wiki14">{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-kashmir-village/pakistani-village-asks-where-are-bodies-of-militants-india-says-it-bombed-idUSKCN1QH298|title=Pakistani village asks: Where are bodies of militants India says it bombed?|date=28 February 2019|work=Reuters}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/02/opinion/sunday/kashmir-india-pakistan.html|title=The Young Suicide Bomber Who Brought India and Pakistan to the Brink of War|date=2 March 2019|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Did Balakot Airstrikes Hit Their Target? Satellite Imagery Raises Doubts |url=https://thewire.in/security/balakot-airstrikes-india-pakistan-satellite-images |work= The Wire |date=27 February 2019}}</ref>{{Excessive citations inline|date=September 2021|reason=Over 6 citations on the location of the airstrike.}} Some Western diplomats also stated that they did not believe Indian Air Force had hit any militant camp.<ref name="wiki14"/> Western security officials have cast doubt over Indian claims and asserted that there are no longer any such large scale militant camps in Pakistan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/25/world/asia/india-pakistan-kashmir-jets.html|title=Indian Jets Strike in Pakistan in Revenge for Kashmir Attack|date=5 February 2019|work=The New York Times}}</ref>

India has asserted that "a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis," who were preparing for launching another suicide attack targeting Indian assets, were killed.<ref name="Firstpost-2019-2" /> Indian media reported that the camp was leveled, and about 200–350 JeM militants were killed<ref name="Khaleej">{{Cite news|url=https://www.khaleejtimes.com/international/india/350-terrorists-killed-in-loc-air-strike-claims-india|title=350 terrorists killed in LoC air strike, claims India|access-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227060206/https://www.khaleejtimes.com/international/india/350-terrorists-killed-in-loc-air-strike-claims-india|archive-date=27 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/iaf-bombs-biggest-jaish-terror-training-camps-across-loc-says-govt/story-IgHP0rvWDyJqGBVQ5e19mN.html|title=IAF air strikes across LoC: IAF jets blow up Jaish-e-Mohammed's main terror camp in 'non-military strike': Govt|date=26 February 2019|work=Hindustan Times|language=en|access-date=28 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228065928/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/iaf-bombs-biggest-jaish-terror-training-camps-across-loc-says-govt/story-IgHP0rvWDyJqGBVQ5e19mN.html|archive-date=28 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> though the exact figures varied across media-houses.<ref name="quartz-chacko">{{Cite web|url=https://qz.com/india/1563323/india-pakistan-lying-on-balakot-jem-will-breed-disaster/|title=Both India and Pakistan may be lying, and that may breed worse disasters|last=Chacko|first=Johann |website=Quartz India|date=2 March 2019 |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302152537/https://qz.com/india/1563323/india-pakistan-lying-on-balakot-jem-will-breed-disaster/|archive-date=2 March 2019|url-status=live|access-date=2 March 2019}}</ref> The [[National Technical Research Organisation]] had located about 300 active mobile phones in the camp; prior to the strike.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://in.reuters.com/article/india-kashmir-airstrike-idINKCN1QM1F3|title=India cites 'active mobile phones' to back air strike casualty claim|date=5 March 2019|work=Reuters|access-date=8 March 2019|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190307171349/https://in.reuters.com/article/india-kashmir-airstrike-idINKCN1QM1F3|archive-date=7 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/number-of-terrorists-killed-in-balakot-strike-will-be-known-today-or-tomorrow-rajnath/story-m9LDwvfABvxeJPtLs7vFfO.html|title='Were trees using 300 mobiles?': Rajnath to Congress on Balakot strike |date=5 March 2019 |website=hindustantimes.com |language=en|access-date=8 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190305182130/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/number-of-terrorists-killed-in-balakot-strike-will-be-known-today-or-tomorrow-rajnath/story-m9LDwvfABvxeJPtLs7vFfO.html|archive-date=5 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> In contrast, Pakistan asserted that there were no casualties or infrastructure damage as a result of the attack.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1466038|title=Indian aircraft violate LoC, scramble back after PAF's timely response: ISPR|date=26 February 2019|website=dawn.com|language=en|access-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226061202/https://www.dawn.com/news/1466038|archive-date=26 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47375920|title=Pakistan vows response over India 'strikes'|date=26 February 2019|access-date=26 February 2019|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227053325/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47375920|archive-date=27 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

Villagers from the area spoke of four bombs striking a nearby forest and field around 3&nbsp;am, damaging a building, and injuring a local man.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1919080/1-no-blood-no-bodies-no-debris-no-tragedy/|title=No blood. No bodies. No debris. No tragedy|date=27 February 2019|website=The Express Tribune|language=en-US|access-date=27 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227234154/https://tribune.com.pk/story/1919080/1-no-blood-no-bodies-no-debris-no-tragedy/|archive-date=27 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Reuters-2019">{{Cite news|url=https://in.reuters.com/article/india-kashmir-village-idINKCN1QH29B|title=Pakistani village asks: Where are bodies of militants India says it...|date=1 March 2019|work=Reuters|access-date=2 March 2019|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302111622/https://in.reuters.com/article/india-kashmir-village-idINKCN1QH29B|archive-date=2 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Journalists associated with the ''[[Associated Press]]'' visited the area on 26 February and saw craters and damaged trees. The villagers they met reported no casualties.<ref>[https://www.apnews.com/e64d72f76c4f475493e4d41501ebab06 Tensions escalate as Indian airstrike hits inside Pakistan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302024601/https://www.apnews.com/e64d72f76c4f475493e4d41501ebab06 |date=2 March 2019 }}, ''[[Associated Press]]''</ref> A team from [[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]] visited the site two days after the strikes and noted "splintered pine trees and rocks" which were strewn across the four blast craters. The local hospital officials and residents asserted that they did not come across any casualty or wounded people. The reporters located the facility,<ref name="aljazeera"/> a school run by Jaish-e-Mohammed, at around a kilometre to the east of one of the bomb craters, atop a steep ridge but were unable to access it.<ref name="aljazeera">{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/indian-air-raid-site-casualties-mysterious-madrassa-190227183058957.html|title=At raid site, no casualties and a mysterious school|website=aljazeera.com|access-date=28 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228140436/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/indian-air-raid-site-casualties-mysterious-madrassa-190227183058957.html|archive-date=28 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Reporters from Reuters were repeatedly denied access to the madrassa by the military citing security issues but they noted the structure (and its vicinity) to be intact from the back.<ref name="Reuters-2019" /><ref name="Reuters-2019-2" /> The press wing of the Pakistan military had twice postponed scheduled visits to the site.<ref name="Reuters-2019-2" /> However, on 29 March 2019, [[Inter-Services Public Relations]] (ISPR) took journalists to the site where the strike took place. There were around 375 students present in the Madrasa. Journalists were allowed to interview the students. They were also allowed to take photos and record videos of the site.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2019/03/29/pakistan-allows-media-visit-balakot-air-strike-location.html|title=Pakistan allows media to visit Balakot air strike location|date=29 March 2019|work=The Week}}</ref>

=== Satellite data assessments ===
[[Satellite]]-data analysis by the [[Australian Strategic Policy Institute]]'s Nathan Ruser concluded that there is "no apparent evidence of more extensive damage and on the face of it does not validate Indian claims regarding the effect of the strikes."<ref name="aljazeera" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thewire.in/security/balakot-airstrikes-india-pakistan-satellite-images|title=Did Balakot Airstrikes Hit Their Target? Satellite Imagery Raises Doubts|website=The Wire|access-date=2 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302152240/https://thewire.in/security/balakot-airstrikes-india-pakistan-satellite-images|archive-date=2 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="cnbctv18">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbctv18.com/politics/eyewitnesses-say-indian-air-strike-on-balakot-killed-dozens-of-terrorists-including-former-isi-agents-2465611.htm|title=Eyewitnesses say Indian air strike on Balakot killed terrorists, former ISI agents|website=cnbctv18.com|date=2 March 2019|language=en-US|access-date=2 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043807/https://www.cnbctv18.com/politics/eyewitnesses-say-indian-air-strike-on-balakot-killed-dozens-of-terrorists-including-former-isi-agents-2465611.htm|archive-date=6 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Michael Sheldon, a digital forensics analyst from [[Atlantic Council]] did another independent investigation on the issue which asserted that no damage was inflicted to any infrastructure around the target-site. It concluded that "something appeared to have gone wrong in the targeting process" and that the botch-up was mysterious in light of the autonomous nature of the supposedly used missiles.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/05/kashmir-fog-of-war-how-conflicting-accounts-benefit-india-pakistan|title=Kashmir's fog of war: how conflicting accounts benefit both sides|last=Safi|first=Michael|date=5 March 2019|work=The Guardian|access-date=5 March 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190305122254/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/05/kashmir-fog-of-war-how-conflicting-accounts-benefit-india-pakistan|archive-date=5 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://medium.com/dfrlab/surgical-strike-in-pakistan-a-botched-operation-7f6cda834b24|title=Surgical Strike in Pakistan a Botched Operation?|date=28 February 2019|website=DFRLab|access-date=5 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304154449/https://medium.com/dfrlab/surgical-strike-in-pakistan-a-botched-operation-7f6cda834b24|archive-date=4 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/02/world/asia/kashmir-shelling-india-pakistan.html|title=Deadly Shelling Erupts in Kashmir Between India and Pakistan After Pilot Is Freed|last1=Gettleman|first1=Jeffrey|date=2 March 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=5 March 2019|last2=Kumar|first2=Hari|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|last3=Yasir|first3=Sameer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306042824/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/02/world/asia/kashmir-shelling-india-pakistan.html|archive-date=6 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/modi-india-no-longer-helpless-in-face-of-terror-after-crisis-with-pakistan/2019/03/01/31d6667c-3c20-11e9-b786-d6abcbcd212a_story.html? |title=In crisis with Pakistan, India's Modi keeps eye on elections |last=Slater |first=Joanna |date=1 March 2019|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=5 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306084810/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/modi-india-no-longer-helpless-in-face-of-terror-after-crisis-with-pakistan/2019/03/01/31d6667c-3c20-11e9-b786-d6abcbcd212a_story.html|archive-date=6 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> A ''[[Reuters]]'' investigation based on high-resolution satellite imagery by [[Planet Labs]] noted an unchanged landscape when compared to an April 2018 satellite photo. It noted that "there were no discernible holes in the roofs of buildings, no signs of scorching, blown-out walls, displaced trees around the madrasa or other signs of an aerial attack".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://in.reuters.com/article/uk-india-kashmir-pakistan-airstrike-insi-idINKCN1QN02Z|title=Satellite images show madrasa buildings still standing at scene of...|date=6 March 2019|work=Reuters|access-date=6 March 2019|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306102751/https://in.reuters.com/article/uk-india-kashmir-pakistan-airstrike-insi-idINKCN1QN02Z|archive-date=6 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Even higher quality imagery, taken from the [[WorldView-2]] satellite, was later also analysed by the [[Australian Strategic Policy Institute]] and showed "that all three weapons missed by similar (but not identical) distances" suggesting "that the misses were caused by a systematic targeting error".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/indias-strike-on-balakot-a-very-precise-miss/|title=India's strike on Balakot: a very precise miss?|date=27 March 2019|website=The Strategist|language=en-US|access-date=27 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.euspaceimaging.com/pakistan-satellite-imagery-confirms-india-missed-target-in-pakistan-airstrike/|title=Satellite Imagery confirms India missed target in Pakistan airstrike|website=European Space Imaging|date=8 March 2019 |language=en-US|access-date=27 March 2019}}</ref>

[[European Space Imaging]] also provided high-resolution image of the site where the strike took place. The satellite imagery was from 27 February 2019, a day after the strike took place. The image showed that buildings were unharmed and there was no sign of casualties at the site. Managing director Adrian Zevenbergen, claimed that "there were no signs of scorching, no large distinguishable holes in the buildings and no signs of stress to the surrounding vegetation".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.euspaceimaging.com/pakistan-satellite-imagery-confirms-india-missed-target-in-pakistan-airstrike/|title=Satellite Imagery confirms Indian missed the target in Pakistan airstrike|date=27 March 2019|work=European Space Imaging}}</ref>

===Indian officials claims===
In contrast, Indian officials said that analysis of before and after images from the [[synthetic aperture radar]] (SAR) carried by an airborne platform showed that four buildings had been destroyed but did not release those images.<ref name="cnbctv18" /> The official stated that SAR images from the first day after the attack showed that the roofs of the building (made of corrugated galvanized iron (CGI) sheets) were missing, and were repaired after two days. According to the official the presence of new roofs had made the assessment by technical intelligence difficult and it was up to the Indian Government to decide on the release of the classified SAR images.<ref name="Indiatimes_evidence">{{cite news |title=Defence Establishment Has Evidence Of Air Strikes in Balakot in Terms Of SAR Imagery |url=https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/defence-establishment-has-evidence-of-air-strikes-in-balakot-in-terms-of-sar-imagery-363053.html |access-date=7 April 2019 |work=indiatimes.com |date=2 March 2019 |language=en}}</ref> The Indian Air Force showed the reporters of ''[[India Today]]'' and other media houses, the high-resolution satellite pictures possessed by the IAF which according to ''India Today'' showed three holes in the roof of one of the buildings. These holes were reported as a "classic signature of a SPICE bomb strike".<ref name="IT_Inside">{{cite news |title=The inside story of IAF's Balakot strike |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/mail-today/story/the-inside-story-of-iaf-s-balakot-strike-1479311-2019-03-16 |access-date=7 April 2019 |work=India Today |date=16 March 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

===Media reports===
''[[Reuters]]'' journalists were prevented from coming near the site of the attack, three times in nine days by the Pakistani security officials.<ref name="Reuters_stopped">{{cite news |title=No access to Pakistan religious school that India says it bombed |url=https://in.reuters.com/article/india-kashmir-pakistan-madrasa/no-access-to-pakistan-religious-school-that-india-says-it-bombed-idINKCN1QO26W |access-date=2 April 2019 |work=Reuters |date=8 March 2019 |language=en}}</ref> ''[[Business Today (India)|Business Today India]]'' stated that the area around Balakot had been cordoned off by the Pakistan Army and evidence such as the dead bodies were being cleared from the area.<ref name="BT_26_feb">{{cite news|url=https://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/pakistan-trying-to-hide-dead-body-of-terrorists-in-balakot-tries-to-debunk-india-claims-source/story/322532.html|title=Pakistan trying to hide dead bodies of terrorists in Balakot, debunks India's claims: Source|date=26 February 2019|work=businesstoday.in|access-date=1 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301080433/https://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/pakistan-trying-to-hide-dead-body-of-terrorists-in-balakot-tries-to-debunk-india-claims-source/story/322532.html|archive-date=1 March 2019}}</ref> [[Praveen Swami]] writing for [[Firstpost]] claimed that Indian intelligence estimated a figure of about 20 casualties and that there were five confirmed kills per burial records.<ref name="Firstpost-2019-3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/india/property-records-nail-pakistani-lie-on-jaish-e-mohammed-hq-in-bahawalpur-finds-firstpost-investigation-6177441.html|title=Property records nail Pakistani lie on Jaish-e-Mohammed HQ in Bahawalpur, finds Firstpost investigation|website=Firstpost|date=March 2019|access-date=2 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306053543/https://www.firstpost.com/india/property-records-nail-pakistani-lie-on-jaish-e-mohammed-hq-in-bahawalpur-finds-firstpost-investigation-6177441.html|archive-date=6 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> He also noted a JeM rally in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on 28 February, wherein [[Masood Azhar]]'s brother, Abdul Rauf Rasheed Alvi mentioned India's attack of their headquarters and vowed revenge.<ref name="Firstpost-2019-3" /> In another piece, Swami stated that based on intercepted communications, [[Research and Analysis Wing]] analysts estimated 90 casualties, including three Pakistani Army trainers.<ref name="Firstpost-2019" /> Swami though noted a lack of witness testimony to independently assess the validity of above claims.<ref name="Firstpost-2019" />

[[US State Department]] acknowledged reports of Pakistan misusing the F-16s, although undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs didn't mention concerns about the use of F-16s in shooting down Indian fighter jets since acknowledging it in formal State Department transmission would be a clear violation of Congress approved terms for selling the fighters as it would trigger formal procedures to reprimand Islamabad when the Trump administration wanted to repair bilateral diplomatic relations.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/world-report/articles/2019-12-11/state-department-reprimanded-pakistan-in-august-for-misusing-f-16s-document-shows?src=usn_tw|title=State Department Reprimanded Pakistan for Misusing F-16s, Document Shows|last1=Shinkman|first1=Paul|date=11 December 2019|access-date=12 December 2019|publisher=U.S. News & World Report|agency=U.S. News & World Report|issue=11 December 2019}}</ref> In 2021, multiple Indian news sources, including ''[[India Today]]'', ''[[The Times of India|Times of India]], [[Hindustan Times]]'', ''[[Swarajya (magazine)|Swarajya]]'', ''[[Deccan Herald]], [[LiveMint]],'' and ''[[NDTV]]'' reported that former Pakistani diplomat, [[Zafar Hilaly]] had allegedly admitting to 300 casualties following the air strike, based on a story shared by [[Asian News International]] (ANI) and [[Republic TV]]. [[Alt News]], an independent fact-checker, reported that Republic TV had shared a doctored video altering Hilaly's original speech, in which he stated that the air strike was intended to cause casualties, but did not kill anyone.<ref>{{Cite web|date=10 January 2021|title=Indian media falsely claims ex-Pak diplomat admits 300 killed in Balakot airstrike|url=https://www.altnews.in/indian-media-falsely-claims-pak-diplomat-admits-300-killed-in-balakot-airstrike/|access-date=11 January 2021|website=Alt News|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Doctored Video Was ANI's Source on Pak 'Accepting' Balakot Deaths, Indian Media Runs With Story|url=https://thewire.in/media/doctored-video-ani-balakot-deaths-pakistan|access-date=11 January 2021|website=The Wire}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Chatterjee|first=Swasti|date=10 January 2021|title=ANI, News Outlets Falsely Claim Ex Pak Diplomat Admitted To Balakot Deaths|url=https://www.boomlive.in/fact-check/fact-check-fake-news-balakot-zafar-hilaly-ani-india-today-surgical-strike-300-deaths-pakistan-narendra-modi-11487|access-date=11 January 2021|website=www.boomlive.in|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=10 January 2021|title=Fact Check: Did ex-Pak diplomat claim 300 casualties in Balakot airstrike? Here's the truth|url=https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-300-casualties-in-balakot-airstrike-by-india-admits-former-pakistani-diplomat-2867137|access-date=11 January 2021|website=DNA India|language=en}}</ref> Following this, several of the sources, including News18, NDTV, and Times of India published a retraction of their reports.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Report On Ex-Pak Diplomat Admitting 300 Killed in Balakot Fact-Checked|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/report-on-ex-pakistani-diplomat-zafar-hilaly-admitting-300-killed-in-balakot-air-strike-fact-checked-2350666|access-date=11 January 2021|website=NDTV.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=10 January 2021|title=Fact-check: False Claims About ex-Pak Diplomat Admitting 300 Killed in Balakot Airstrike|url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/fact-check-false-claims-about-ex-pak-diplomat-admitting-300-killed-in-balakot-airstrike-3268193.html|access-date=11 January 2021|website=News18|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=11 January 2021|title=Former Pak diplomat admits 300 casualties in Balakot airstrike by India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/former-pak-diplomat-admits-300-casualties-in-balakot-airstrike-by-india/articleshow/80190168.cms|access-date=11 January 2021|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref>

==Aftermath==
{{Further|2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes}}
The IAF put air defence systems on alert along the international border and Line of Control to respond to any possible retaliation by the Pakistan Air Force.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1100249730913849344|title=Indian Air Force has put on high alert all air defence systems along the international border and LoC to respond to any possible action by Pakistan Air Force.pic.twitter.com/9GER7eqGPf|date=25 February 2019|website=@ANI|language=en|access-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227053325/https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1100249730913849344|archive-date=27 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

Pakistan's [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Pakistan)|foreign minister]] [[Shah Mehmood Qureshi|Shah Mahmood Qureshi]] summoned an emergency meeting in [[Islamabad]], Pakistan to discuss the security situation<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1100253132209209344|title=Radio Pakistan: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has summoned an emergency meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan. The meeting will discuss the security situation. (File pic)pic.twitter.com/G2pPKna28u|date=25 February 2019|website=@ANI|language=en|access-date=26 February 2019}}</ref> and asserted that Pakistan reserved the right to retaliate.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/PTIofficial/status/1100287616698728448|title=Minister of Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi Policy Statement after the violation of LOC by Indian Air ForceIpic.twitter.com/tduq8rpXd8|date=25 February 2019|website=@PTIofficial|language=en|access-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301023149/https://twitter.com/PTIofficial/status/1100287616698728448|archive-date=1 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The prime minister of Pakistan, [[Imran Khan]], convened an emergency meeting to review the situation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1466145|title=PM Khan summons 'important meeting' in wake of India's LoC violation|date=26 February 2019|website=dawn.com|language=en|access-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226092602/https://www.dawn.com/news/1466145|archive-date=26 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> At the end of this meeting, the [[National Security Council (Pakistan)|National Security Council]] (NSC) released a statement denying the Indian claims of the destruction of any terrorist camp and described the attack as "uncalled for" whilst adding that retaliation would be forthcoming after a joint parliamentary session.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1100332154196701185|title=Pakistan's National Security Committee (NSC) after a meeting chaired by Pakistan PM Imran Khan today: India has committed uncalled for aggression to which Pakistan shall respond at the time and place of its choosing.pic.twitter.com/7IfgrEXFN8|date=26 February 2019|website=@ANI|language=en|access-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227053325/https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1100332154196701185|archive-date=27 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/PTIofficial/status/1100329335850860546|title=This action has been done for domestic consumption being in election environment, putting regional peace and stability at grave risk.The claimed area of strike is open for the world to see the facts on ground. For this domestic&international media is being taken to the impact site.|date=26 February 2019|website=@PTIofficial|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226164433/https://twitter.com/PTIofficial/status/1100329335850860546|archive-date=26 February 2019|url-status=live|access-date=26 February 2019}}
</ref> He also stated that Pakistan will take international media to the area of strikes but were delayed due to adverse weather conditions.<ref>
{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1100347445773565952|title=Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi: Pakistan will take international media to the area of strikes, helicopters are being readied, right now weather is bad, will fly when weather permits. (file pic)pic.twitter.com/hkvl1Z40gh|date=26 February 2019|website=@ANI|language=en|access-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226163207/https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1100347445773565952|archive-date=26 February 2019|url-status=live}}
</ref>

[[Asian News International|ANI]] claimed to have released photos of the alleged JeM camp and weapons cache sourced from intelligence sources.<ref>
{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1100316004830400512|title=Intel Sources: Picture of JeM facility destroyed by Indian Ar Force strikes in Balakot, Pakistanpic.twitter.com/th1JWbVrHw|date=26 February 2019|website=@ANI|language=en|access-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226164244/https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1100316004830400512|archive-date=26 February 2019|url-status=live}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1100316432175427584|title=Intel Sources: Ammunition dump blown up today in Balakot, Pakistan by IAF Mirages. The dump had more than 200 AK rifles, uncountable rounds hand grenades, explosives and detonatorspic.twitter.com/b7ENbKgYaH|date=26 February 2019|website=@ANI|language=en|access-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226163518/https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1100316432175427584|archive-date=26 February 2019|url-status=live}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1100318886740852736|title=Intel Sources: Flags of USA, UK and Israel painted on staircases seen in Jaish e Mohammed facility destroyed by Indian Air Force jets in Balakotpic.twitter.com/266CEI0hGR|date=26 February 2019|website=@ANI|language=en|access-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226164144/https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1100318886740852736|archive-date=26 February 2019|url-status=live}}
</ref>

==Reactions==
===India===
Foreign diplomats from the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Australia, Indonesia, Turkey, China, and six [[ASEAN]] nations were briefed by Indian foreign secretary [[Vijay Keshav Gokhale|Vijay Gokhale]] on the strike conducted.<ref>
{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1100321405919481856|title=Chinese diplomat was also briefed by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on the Indian Air Force strike in Balakot|date=26 February 2019|website=@ANI|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226163437/https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1100321405919481856|archive-date=26 February 2019|url-status=live|access-date=26 February 2019}}</ref> [[Arun Jaitley]], the Indian cabinet minister of Finance stated two reasons, for Pakistan denying the effectiveness of the airstrike stating, "There are two plausible reasons. First, the Pakistan army had created a big aura about its prowess among Pakistanis, and it did not want its image dented." Jaitley noted that the second reason was more important, and stated "Had the Pakistan army admitted that our fighters bombed its buildings, the first question to be raised would have been: What was the extent of damage? Experts would have come for a survey of the buildings and asked about the people staying inside... then Pakistan would have had to reveal names of the Jaish fighters who died there."<ref name="NDTV_Jaitley">{{cite news |title=Balakot Air Strike Exposed Pakistan's "Nuclear Bluff", Says Arun Jaitley |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/arun-jaitley-says-balakot-air-strike-exposed-pakistans-nuclear-bluff-2005268 |access-date=13 March 2019 |work=NDTV.com |date=9 March 2019}}</ref>

===International===
*{{flagu|Australia}} noted its condemnation of Pulwama attack and asked Pakistan to crack down on terrorists operating from its soil. It also asked both India and Pakistan to restrain from actions that would jeopardize peace.<ref>{{cite news |title=Australia Asks India, Pak To 'Exercise Restraint', Engage in Dialogue |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/world-news-australia-asks-india-pak-to-exercise-restraint-engage-in-dialogue/326180 |work=Outlook |date=26 February 2019 |access-date=27 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227053325/https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/world-news-australia-asks-india-pak-to-exercise-restraint-engage-in-dialogue/326180 |archive-date=27 February 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*{{flagu|China}}'s foreign ministry spokesman [[Lu Kang (diplomat)|Lu Kang]] stated "We hope that both India and Pakistan can exercise restraint and adopt actions that will help stabilize the situation in the region and improve mutual relations".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/china-urges-india-pakistan-to-exercise-restraint-after-air-strike/articleshow/68168069.cms|title=China urges India, Pakistan to 'exercise restraint' after air strike|date=26 February 2019|work=The Economic Times|access-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226182714/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/china-urges-india-pakistan-to-exercise-restraint-after-air-strike/articleshow/68168069.cms|archive-date=26 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flagu|France}} asked both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, saying that it supported Indian actions against terrorism and asked Pakistan to stop allowing its territory to be used by terrorists.<ref>{{cite news |editor1-last=Achom |editor1-first=Debanish |title=Recognise India's Legitimacy To Ensure Security Against Terror: France |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/recognise-indias-legitimacy-to-ensure-its-security-against-cross-border-terror-france-1999768 |work=NDTV |date=26 February 2019 |access-date=27 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226214736/https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/recognise-indias-legitimacy-to-ensure-its-security-against-cross-border-terror-france-1999768 |archive-date=26 February 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*{{flagu|United States}}' [[Mike Pompeo]], [[United States Secretary of State|State secretary]] termed the attack as a "counter-terrorism action" and reaffirmed US-India ties. He asked both sides to show restraint.<ref>{{cite news |title=India-Pakistan tension: Pompeo speaks to Sushma Swaraj |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-pakistan-tension-pompeo-speaks-to-sushma-swaraj/articleshow/68179944.cms |work=The Economic Times |agency=Indo-Asian News Service |date=27 February 2019 |access-date=27 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228005043/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-pakistan-tension-pompeo-speaks-to-sushma-swaraj/articleshow/68179944.cms |archive-date=28 February 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*{{flagicon|Organisation of Islamic Cooperation}} The [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]] condemned the airstrike and called on both India and Pakistan to show restraint.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1466169|title=OIC condemns Indian incursion against Pakistan, urges both sides to exercise restraint|date=26 February 2019|website=dawn.com|access-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226182208/https://www.dawn.com/news/1466169|archive-date=26 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[2019 Pulwama attack]]
*[[Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts]]
*[[India–Pakistan relations]]
*[[Media coverage of 2019 India–Pakistan standoff]]
* [[Battle of Balakot]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-struck-biggest-training-camp-of-jem-foreign-sec-confirms/article26372319.ece 'India struck biggest training camp of JeM' – full statement from Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale], ''The Hindu'', 26 February 2019.

{{Kashmir conflict}}
{{India-Pakistani relations}}
{{Military of India}}
{{Portal bar|India|War|Pakistan}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balakot airstrike, 2019}}
[[Category:2019 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]
[[Category:2010s in Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:2019 airstrikes]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 2019]]
[[Category:Counterterrorism]]
[[Category:February 2019 events in India]]
[[Category:February 2019 events in Pakistan]]
[[Category:India–Pakistan border]]
[[Category:India–Pakistan military relations]]
[[Category:Indo-Pakistani wars]]
[[Category:Kashmir conflict]]
[[Category:Mansehra District]]
[[Category:Operations involving the Indian Air Force]]