Imagery Shows Site Of Indian Strike Largely Intact

Satellite imagery published by a private firm cast doubt on claims by India that it destroyed a terrorist training camp in Pakistan last week, reports Reuters. 

Images show at least six buildings still standing on the site in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on March 4, six days after India conducted airstrikes, which it said destroyed a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camp there. 

The buildings and surrounding area show no discernible damage in line with Indian claims, analysts said. 

The pictures provided by Planet Labs show little change from photos taken in April 2018. 

An Indian analyst reviewing similar imagery said the site had likely been hit but any damage was probably repaired, reported the Print (New Delhi). 

On Feb. 26, India said it struck the area near Jaba village and the town of Balakot. New Delhi claimed the attack killed hundreds of terrorists. 

The Indian air force has submitted a report with 12 pages of high-resolution imagery as proof that the Balakot attack was successful, senior service officials told India Today. 

Indian Mirage 2000 jets employed Spice-2000 precision-guided bombs with penetration warheads in the strikes, the officials said. The bombs pierced the roofs of the buildings and detonated inside, so the damage was internal, they said. 

The use of such 2,000-pound (910-kg) weapons would have left obvious damage to any structures, experts told Reuters. 

Indian officials declined to comment on the claims. 

The strikes were in response to an attack on Feb. 14 that killed 40 Indian paramilitaries in Indian-administered Kashmir.