On the second anniversary of Balakot airstrikes on terror camps in Pakistan, Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the targeted bombing was a display of ‘new India’ fighting terrorism. On February 26, 2019, the Indian Air Force warplanes, in early morning strikes, dropped bombs on terror camps in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. This was in retaliation to an earlier terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that left 40 Indian soldiers dead.

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“On this day in 2019, the Indian Air Force had again made clear the policies of New India against terrorism by responding to the Pulwama terror attack. I pay my respects to the Pulwama martyrs and salute the courage of the IAF. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the safety of our nation and soldiers is paramount,” Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted.

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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also lauded the IAF for the strikes, saying, “On Balakot Air Strikes anniversary, I salute the exceptional courage and diligence of IAF. The success of Balakot strikes has shown India’s strong will to act against terrorism. We’re proud of our Armed Forces who keep India safe and secure.”

The Balakot strikes came in retaliation to the February 14, 2019  Pulwama attack, when a convoy of vehicles carrying Indian security personnel on the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber at Lethapora in the Pulwama district, killing 40 Indian soldiers.