New Delhi /Feb, 26: Foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale on Tuesday said a pre-emptive strike was carried out by India on a training camp of Jaish-e-Muhammad militant outfit in Balakote across the Line of Control (LoC).
He said they had credible inputs that Jaish was planning more attacks in the aftermath of Pulwama attack that left 40 CRPF troopers dead on February 14.
“Credible information was received that JeM was attempting more attacks in the country. A pre-emptive strike became important. India struck the biggest camp of JeM headed by Maulana Yusuf Azhar alias Ustad Ghauri, brother-in-law of JeM Chief Masood Azhar in Balakot,” he told reporters during a briefing in New Delhi.
“In this operation, a very large number of JeM cadres, trainers, senior commander and Jihadis were eliminated.”