Press Trust of India Hundreds of Fidayeen and their trainers were shifted from Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir to a five-star, resort style camp in a hilltop forest in Balakot after the Pulwama attack, providing Indian forces with “a sitting duck target” when they carried out an air strike early on Tuesday, killing up to 350 terrorists, sources said.

They said at least 325 terrorists and 25 trainers were at the camp, the biggest operated by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad group, which had claimed responsibility for the February 14 suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama, Kashmir, that killed 40 jawans.

Attack clueless

Everyone at the Balakot camp was sleeping and the Pakistani defence establishment had no clue that the attack was coming so deep into their country because they had expected a surgical strike on camps in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir near the Line of Control, said the sources close to the government.

But India had received intelligence that JeM had shifted many in-training terrorists and hardcore operatives, along with their trainers, to the Balakot camp, which has facilities for 500-700 people, and even a swimming pool along with cooks and cleaners.

Fighter and other aircraft took off from several air bases in Western and Central Commands at about the same time, leaving Pakistani defence officials confused as to where they were heading, the sources said.

A small group of aircraft broke away from the swarm and headed to Balakot where “the sleeping terrorists were sitting ducks for the Indian bombing,” said one source.

There has been no official confirmation that Indian Air Force jets carried out the attack, although defence sources have said that Mirage 2000 planes pounded the camp with bombs and levelled it.

The terror camp is located 20 km from Balakot town.

Like an ‘earth quake’

Residents in the quake-prone Balakot town said they were woken by “loud explosions” and thought a fresh tremor must have hit the region when Indian Air Force jets pounded a large terror training camp.

Mohammad Adil, a farmer in Jaba village, said he and his family were woken at about 03:00 by “a huge explosion”.

He said they thought an earth quake must have hit the region. “Then we heard jets flying over. We went to the place in the morning. There was a huge crater and four or five houses were destroyed,” he said.

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