Yechury terms IAF air strike on JeM camp in Pakistan 'effective'

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Tuesday termed the air strike on Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) camp in Balakot as 'effective' and applauded the Indian Air Force (IAF) for the precise target.

"IAF carried out an effective strike, destroyed the largest camp of Jaish-e-Mohammad, that they claim, in Balakot. The government has called the opposition to provide more details and also what the government is thinking in the future," Yechury said.

"We will get to know in the meeting what the government is planning to do to ensure such things do not happen in the future," he added.

"India on Tuesday carried out air strikes at a massive Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) camp in Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province," Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said.

The terror camp in a thick forest area atop a hill was led by Yusuf Azhar alias Ustad Gauri, brother-in-law of JeM chief Masood Azhar, Gokhale said, making a statement before the media, hours after the air strikes using Mirage 2000 were carried out.

He said the "pre-emptive" strike by India had become absolutely necessary as there was credible information that JeM, which recently carried out a terror attack in Pulwama, was planning further attacks on India.

A large number of Jaish terrorists, including top commanders, trainers and those terrorists who were to be the 'fidayeen' (suicide attackers) were eliminated in the "non-military" air strike, the Foreign Secretary said.

Indian action came 12 days after Pakistan based and backed JeM carried out a terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama in Kashmir, killing 40 personnel and injuring five others.

The terror attack had led to nationwide outrage and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had vowed to punish those behind the attack.

The world community has expressed solidarity with India after the attack.

The US has said it supports India's "Right to self-defence" in the back of the attack.