Pulwama Attack

Pulwama Attack

Part of: Prelims and GS-III- Security

In News: The Prime Minister paid homage to all those martyred in Pulwama on this day in 2019 and recalled their outstanding service to our nation.

• Forty CRPF jawans travelling in convoy were killed by a vehicle-borne suicide attack on February 14, 2019 in Pulwana City of Jammu & Kashmir.
• The terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing. 
• The Balakot airstrikes were seen as a direct response to the Pulwama bombing.

Operation Bandar

• The IAF’s mission to bomb the terrorist hideout in Balakot, Pakistan, was given the codename ‘Operation Bandar’. It was a rare operation in which the IAF crossed the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and dropped bombs on targets in Pakistani territory. Balakot is a small town located in Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.  
• On February 26, 2019, Indian Air Force’s Mirage-2000 fighter jets took off from airbases across India. The Indian Air Force jets crossed the LoC in J&K and bombed Jaish terror camps in Balakot with precision-guided missiles.
• Pakistan retaliated a day after. The Pakistan Air Force attempted an airstrike on Indian soil. The Indian Air Force launched its fighter jets in response, leading to a rare dogfight between the Indian and Pakistani jets. In the skirmish, an IAF MiG-21 Bison fighter jet shot down a Pakistani F-16 during the conflict. Indian Mig-21, which was being flown by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, was also shot down and he was captured by the Pakistani forces. After much deliberation, Wing Commander Abhinandan was released two days later from Pakistan’s hold. This development calmed the tensions between the two nations after two weeks of heightened conflict.

Prelims Value Addition

• NIA was created after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks with the enactment of the National Investigation Agency Act 2008.
• NIA is the Central Counter Terrorism Law Enforcement Agency of India and it works under overall guidance of Ministry of Home Affairs

News Source: PIB