Today is a very special day in the glorious history of the Indian Air Force.
Today i.e. 26th February, it has been five years of ‘Balakot Air Strike’. The Balakot airstrike took place on February 26, 2019, at around 3.30 am.
India had avenged the martyrdom of its 40 brave soldiers who were martyred in Pulwama. This was the first aerial bombardment carried out by India inside Pakistan after the Indo-Pak war.
Balakot Air Strike proved that India can respond to any threat towards its country.
On February 26, Indian Air Force aircraft crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and targeted Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist camps in Balakot, Pakistan. 12 Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft were used in the Balakot air strike.
Earlier, on February 14, the suicide bomb attack on Indian security personnel in Pulwama had shocked the entire country.
40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldiers were killed in the attack and Pakistan’s terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed had taken responsibility for this attack. The Indian Air Force made a plan to avenge this attack. The Balakot air strike mission was named Operation Bandar. This highly successful mission was commanded by the Seventh and Ninth Squadrons of the Indian Air Force. This air strike was a tribute to the martyrs of the Pulwama attack.
In response to the Indian Air Force attacks on the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Balakot, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) took offensive action on 27 February by sending aircraft to attack Indian positions.
Pakistan retaliated with F-16 fighter planes, but the Indian Air Force gave a befitting reply. The Indian Air Force had also shot down an F-16 fighter plane of Pakistan.
This feat was accomplished by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. The brave Wing Commander of the Indian Air Force had entered Pakistan and shot down its latest F-16 fighter plane with his old MiG-21 fighter plane.
During this time, Abhinandan’s fighter plane MiG-21 had crashed and he had reached the area occupied by Pakistan.
Pakistan had captured Abhinandan. However, under pressure from India, Pakistan’s Imran Khan government released Abhinandan within 48 hours and on March 1, 2019, Wing Commander Abhinandan returned to his country from Attari Wagah Border.