NEW DELHI – Indian Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday praisedthe Indian Air Force (IAF) for the “flawless execution” of the February 26air strike on a so called militant camp in Pakistan’s Balakot and thwartingthe Pakistani response the following day.
An IAF spokesperson quoted her saying this in her address to the force’stop brass at a biannual commanders’ conference here.
Sitharaman said the IAF proved its mettle in Exercise Gagan Shakti (2018)and Vayu Shakti (2019) and it reflected in the successful Balakot strikeand the dogfight the next day, according to an IAF release.
She said the actions and conduct of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman,who was captured in Azad Kashmir after he ejected as his MiG-21 was hit,reflected the high standards of training in the IAF. Pakistan released himon March 1.
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The strike was carried out after Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibilityfor the February 14 car bomb attack that left 40 paramilitary troopers deadin Pulwama.
