Here's (purportedly) a very detailed report, with lots of photograph, on Balakot, from a US-based source:
'Surgical Strike in Pakistan a Botched Operation?' at <https://medium.com/dfrlab/surgical-strike-in-pakistan-a-botched-operation-7f6cda834b24>. Sukla On 01/03/2019, Sukla Sen <sukla....@gmail.com> wrote: > I/II. > http://www.wandemag.com/international-media-questions-indian-claims-of-killing-300-militants-inside-pakistan/?fbclid=IwAR0QBmVxXfq4Au_ndzDI_WCj44GBUBbAxMFwf8KF896Slxm1NwQ3xrl2C6g > > POSTED ON FEBRUARY 28, 2019 by Irfan Mehraj > > International media questions Indian claims of ‘killing 300 militants > inside Pakistan’ > > *India claimed it killed 300 odd Jaish militants in an air-strike inside > Pakistan. Several international media outlets found these claims untrue and > reported no significant damage.* > > *On Tuesday morning,* news blared across Indian TV studios that India has > successfully carried out air-strikes against Jaish e Mohammad (JeM) > training camps in Pakistan saying, “a very large number of JeM terrorists, > trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being trained > for [suicide] action were eliminated." > > Pakistan, however, denied that any casualties had taken place. Sections of > Indian media quoted Indian officials saying, ‘at least 300 JeM militants > were killed’ in the airstrike (ref.: < > https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/indian-air-strike-in-balakot-killed-300-militants-sources/articleshow/68165466.cms>). > What followed was euphoria in several TV studios across India. However, no > one seemed to ask the most basic questions about the air-strike? > > How was the figure of 300 killed militants arrived at? How could Indian Air > Forces possibly know how many militants its strike had killed? These > questions were left unanswered in TV newsrooms but the claims made by the > Government of India didn’t escape the scrutiny of the international media. > > *Al Jazeera English* sent its Pakistan correspondent Asad Hashim to the > site of the air-strike and found the claims by Government of India to be > lacking substance. “Indian bombing inside Pakistani territory appears to > have struck a mostly uninhabited forest and a farmer's wheat field,” Al > Jazeera reported (ref.: < > https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/indian-air-raid-site-casualties-mysterious-madrassa-190227183058957.html>). > The report further said, “Local hospital officials and several residents > who rushed to the scene said they did not find any bodies or wounded people > following the Indian attack, which took place at approximately 3 am local > time on Tuesday.” > > *Washington Post* ran an article titled India and Pakistan may not go to > war. But the crisis is escalating (ref.: < > https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/02/27/india-pakistan-may-not-go-war-theres-trouble-ahead/?utm_term=.73db12460e38>), > where it said that no sign of mass causalities was reported. “Initial > reports from local police officials and residents who spoke on the > condition of anonymity confirmed that a strike took place in a mountainous > area a few miles outside town, but they said they saw no signs of mass > casualties,” the article read. > > *Similarly, New York Times* in a story about the Indian air-strike quoted > residents living in Balakot (the site of the air strike) of having ‘seen no > sign of any significant damage from the airstrikes’. Questioning the claims > made by the GoI, the NYT article (ref.: < > https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/world/asia/india-pakistan-kashmir-airstrikes.html>) > further said, “The view that little had been damaged was supported by > military analysts and two Western security officials, who said that any > militant training areas at the site, in the Pakistani province of (KPK), > had long since packed up or dispersed. Balakot and its surrounding area > hosted numerous militant training camps until 2005, when a powerful > earthquake struck the area, devastating its towns and villages. As > international aid groups poured in to provide relief, militants packed up > their camps and went elsewhere, to avoid being detected.” > > *London’s prominent newspaper The Guardian*, while reporting the air-strike > did take place but questioned whether any significant was hit by the > fighter jets. The report read (ref.: < > https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/26/pakistan-india-jets-breached-ceasefire-line-kashmir-bomb>), > “The attack was celebrated in India, but it was unclear on Tuesday whether > anything significant had been struck by the fighter jets, or whether the > operation had been carefully calibrated to ease popular anger over the 14 > February suicide bombing without drawing a major Pakistani reprisal. Local > media in Pakistan, as well as Reuters, quoted residents of Balakot who said > they heard four to five blasts overnight which damaged homes and left large > pockmarks in the ground." > > *Dubai based Gulf News reported* that the Indian air-strike in Balakot had > missed its target. “From what villagers could see, the Indian attack had > missed its target as the bombs dropped exploded about a kilometre away from > the madrasa. Fida Hussain Shah, a 46-year-old farmer, said he and other > villagers had found pieces of Indian ordnance that had splintered pine > trees on the hill but the only casualty was a man sleeping in his house > when shrapnel broke the windows,” Gulf News reported (ref.: < > https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/as-it-happened-tension-mounts-after-indian-fighter-jets-cross-kashmir-frontier-bomb-camps-1.1551149047465 >>). > > *Another prominent British newspaper, Daily Telegraph* quoted villagers of > Balakot saying only one person was wounded by the shrapnel. "Villagers in > the area told Reuters they heard four loud bangs in the early hours of > Tuesday but reported only one person wounded by shrapnel. "We saw trees > fallen down and one house damaged and four craters where the bombs had > fallen," said Mohammad Ajmal, a 25-year-old who visited the site," the > Daily Telegraph wrote (ref.: < > https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/02/26/indian-planes-bomb-pakistan-kashmir-tensions-escalate/ >>). > > *Another British publication Jane’s Information Group* – which is a > publishing company specialising in military, aerospace and transportation > topics called the air-strike as political symbolism. “A lot of intelligence > sources say those camps in Pakistan had been cleaned out… This is more > political symbolism than anything else. Mr Modi had to show some > demonstrable action on India’s part, ahead of elections,” Jane’s report > read (ref.: < > https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/25/world/asia/india-pakistan-kashmir-jets.html>). > ♦ > > About the Author(s): > > Irfan Mehraj > Irfan Mehraj is a journalist and Founder Editor of Wande Magazine. > > http://www.wandemag.com > > II. > https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/images-of-destruction-caused-by-earthquake-in-balakot-shared-as-iaf-air-strike-impact/articleshow/68194890.cms?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=iOSapp&utm_source=WhatsApp.com&fbclid=IwAR3aI0GtkCyFuOTJWDnAZynezxyucx03xAawPgP3M34moVywR3EVfnnPrPo > > Images of destruction caused by earthquake in Balakot shared as IAF air > strike impact > > Times Fact Check > Updated: Feb 28, 2019, 13:03 IST > > Snipped > > -- > Peace Is Doable > -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. 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