Less than two weeks after the deadly suicide bomber attack on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, the Indian Air Force (IAF) early on Tuesday morning carried out air strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) and targeted several terror camps.


COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

The move by the IAF drew praise from the sporting fraternity, with the likes of former India cricketers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir leading the bandwagon of sports personalities applauding the massive operation. 


While praising the IAF for launching the air strikes across the LoC, former opener Sehwag continued his witty style and mocked Pakistan by using the line which is mostly used by their cricketers during matches. 
 
 "The boys have played really well. #SudharJaaoWarnaSudhaarDenge #airstrike," he wrote on his official Twitter handle.



Besides Sehwag, Gambhir was also among the first ones from the cricket fraternity to react on the air strikes carried out by India. 


"JAI HIND, IAF  @IAF_MCC @adgpi #IndiaStrikesAgain #IndiaStrikesBack #IndiaStrikes," Gambhir wrote.



Here is how others reacted:


Saina Nehwal: Big salute to our #IndianAirForce .... #IndiaStrikesBack .. Jai Hind



Yuzvendra Chahal: Indian Air Force. Bohot Hard Bohot Hard #IndiaStrikesBack #JaiHind 



Mahesh Bhupathi: Jai Hind!!!! @IAF_MCC



Mohammad Kaif: Salute to the Indian Air Force. Shaandaar #IndiaStrikesBack



Kidambi Srikanth: Hats off to the #IndianAirForce for their strike against terror. Every Indian is proud of you! Jai Hind! 
#IndiaStrikesBack



The air raids seen as Surgical Strikes 2.0 were carried out by 12 Mirage 2000 fighters of the IAF inside Pakistan killing 200 to 300 terrorists. The fighter jets crossed the LoC at 3:30 am and proceeded to target terror camps in Muzaffarabad and Chakoti in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as well as Balakot in Khyber-Pakthunkhwa province of Pakistan.


Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale also confirmed in a press conference that IAF's Mirage 2000 fighter jets dropped laser-guided bombs at biggest terror camp of Jaish-e-Mohammad in Balakote of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK).


The IAF's air strikes come just days after the convoy of 78 buses, in which around 2500 CRPF personnel were travelling from Jammu to Srinagar, was attacked by the Pakistan-based JeM, killing 40 CRPF soldiers.