Claims and counter-claims over IAF's Balakot bombing damage

Amid claims and counter-claims on the damage caused to the Jaise-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror camp in Balakot, Pakistan, some television channels on Wednesday reported that Indian Air Force (IAF) has shared the proof of accuracy of its strike with the government.

Conflicting reports about the extent of damage caused by the bombing has emeged with a foreign news agency claiming that it has evidence of no damage caused to the JeM facility.

The government rejected the report as some opposition parties also raised doubt with Union ministers blasting them for challenging the valour of armed forces.

A news channel reported that 80 per cent of the bombs hit the target during the strike.

Another report said IAF proof includes high resolution satellite images and images produced by Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) establishing the lethality of the strike.

The claim came in the wake of IAF chief B.S. Dhanoa saying that his jets had hit the targets and that IAF did not count the bodies.

Political parties have also joined the debate with the opposition and the ruling party targeting each other. Union ministers V.K. Singh and Harsimrat Kaur attacked the opposition for questioning the armed forces. The opposition said the government should come clean as the Bharatiya Janata President president Amit Shah had claimed that 250 terrorists were killed in the air strike.

--IANS

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