Photos of terrorist camp at Balakot released: Training centre, swimming pool, gymnasium blown up

February 26: In the early hours of Tuesday, 12 Mirage-2000 combat jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF) armed with Israeli Precision Guided Munitions (PGM) took off from their Gwalior airbase on a crucial mission, cloaked in secrecy. The multi-role fighter aircraft entered into Pakistani airspace striking the largest training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in Balakot inside Pakistan.

As a matter of proof, Government sources have released details and photos of the terror camp – located around 80 km from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) – that show it included facilities like a firing range, swimming pool and a gymnasium. The huge facility was located on a hilltop and hidden by thick forests. The Afghan war veterans, who fought against the USSR, were recruited as trainers to provide military training to youth of Pakistan over here. The building of this training centre had begun in 2003-04.

The next picture show the main hall where Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists were trained, decorated with flags and banners of the terror group.

In the text accompanying the next pic, it was written, “In this hall, Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar, de-factor Amir of the organization and brother of Maulana Masood Azhar attended annual passing out parade of militant cadres on 01st April, 2018.”

Another photo show how a staircase was painted with flags of USA, UK and Israel to “develop feelings of hatred against enemy countries among militant cadres”.

As per sources, the training centre was being run under the direct supervision and protection of Pakistan’s intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI and more than 250 terrorists were being trained at the complex.

Further, a Photo also shows an ammunition dump where “200 AK rifles were uncountable rounds, hand grenades, explosives and detonators” were stored.

The head of the training centre at Balakot was Maulana Yousuf Azhar, or Ustaad Ghouri, the brother-in-law of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, who was killed in today’s air strikes. Photos released today show the SUV that Maulana Yousuf Azhar used to travel in.

Sources revealed that the terrorists at the camp were given training in the use of advanced weapons, explosives and field tactics, strategy for attacks convoys, manufacture and planting of Improvised Explosive Devices, preparations for suicide bombing, rigging vehicles for suicide attacks and survival in high altitude and extreme-stress situations.

Villagers near the town of Balakot in northeast Pakistan were shaken out of their sleep by what seemed like an earthquake in the early hours of Tuesday, only discovering once dawn broke that there had been an Indian airstrike on their neighbourhood.

As per Reuters, a resident, who did not want to give his name, said there was a nearby madrasa run by Jaish, though most villagers were guarded talking about their militant neighbours. Another person, who also declined to give his name, said the militants had had a presence in the area for years.

Reuters further quoted, “I belong to that area. I know for sure that there has been a training camp. It used to be there. I know Jaish people ran it,” he said.“This camp was turned into a madrasa several years ago, but no one would still be allowed to get close to this infrastructure. There are scores of students in the madrasa at any given time,” he said.

Story Credit: NDTV & Reuters.