Airborne Early Warning aircraft took off from Delhi

In an early morning strike, Indian fighter jets have struck at terrorist targets in Pakistan, destroying a training camp of the Jaish e Mohammed, the terror outfit that had carried out a suicide attack, killing 40 CRPF personnel in Pulwama on February 14.

While there has been no official word on the action yet, sources said that Mirage 2000 fighter jets of the air force crossed the border and dropped precision strike bombs on terror camps, causing considerable damage. Estimates for the damage are not currently available.

The strike is believed to have taken place around 4 am and the Pakistani establishment came out with a public statement an hour later, claiming air space violation by India. The Pakistani military claimed that an Indian jet dropped a payload (bomb) at Balakot without causing damage.

Balakot is located well within Pakistan and not in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. The strike is believed to have caused significant damage and a detailed assessment is likely to be shared shortly.

As per initial reports, no Indian jet has been damaged in the action that would have to be carried out with great precision and skill, given the Pakistani air defence network in the area.

Publically available aviation data shows some unusual activity over Indian skies in the morning as the air force went on high alert to track Pakistani movements.

As shared by Twitter handle @civmilair , an Indian air force EARLY WARNING AIRCRAFT took off early in the morning today. These aircraft are used to track enemy movement and direct own jets to targets. The aircraft appears to be the indigenous early warning jet based on the Embraer platform.

Also, an air to air refuler is in the air since morning. The IL 78 is utilized for giving fighter jets extra range and public data shows it loitering close to the western borders, and heading back to its home base at Agra.

Official reactions are still awaited but targeted air strikes were an option discussed in detail after the Pulwama attack.