Missiles targeted at jammu intercepted blackouts from punjab to rajasthan

Missiles targeted at jammu intercepted blackouts from punjab to rajasthan

Indian armed forces began a counter-offensive Thursday night after Pakistani drones and missiles attempted to hit Indian military facilities in cities along the western and northern frontiers. Blackouts were imposed in over 15 cities, from Srinagar to Chandigarh to Bhuj.

The Pakistani attack, which focused especially on military installations in Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur, came hours after India said it had targeted air defence radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan and ‘neutralised’ an air defence system in Lahore.

Late Thursday, the Ministry of Defence said there were no casualties or material losses and the threat was ‘neutralised’ using kinetic and non-kinetic means — kinetic options refer to use of missiles and other weapon systems, and non-kinetic to measures like jammers and anti-drone nets.

Official sources said Pakistani drone attacks were reported at multiple locations along the western borders and the Indian Armed Forces had managed to effectively engage them.

Sources said eight missiles from Pakistan were directed at Satwari, Samba, RS Pura and Arnia and all were intercepted by air defence units.

The IAF activated its Integrated Counter UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) Grid and other air defence systems, including the S400 Triumf, Barak 8 MRSAM (medium range surface-to-air missile) and the indigenous Akash, helping set up an air defence umbrella that helped thwart the attacks.

There was a complete blackout in Jammu in the evening and people saw what appeared to be drones and missiles being intercepted. Loud explosions were heard. Residents heard sirens blaring and the Jammu airport appeared to be a target.

In an advisory, the Jammu police asked citizens ‘to switch off all types of lights during the blackout period’ and to ‘stay indoors at safe places’. ‘No unnecessary vehicular movement should be taken,’ police said.

Simultaneously, reports of heavy artillery fire from the Pakistan side came in from several border districts in Jammu such as Akhnoor, Rajouri and Poonch.

Blackouts were imposed and sirens were heard in several districts of Punjab and Rajasthan too. In Punjab, instructions were issued in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Ferozepur, Fazilka and Chandigarh. A blackout was ordered in Mohali and neighboring Panchkula. A blackout was imposed in most parts of Kutch district in Gujarat.

In Rajasthan, the border districts of Jaisalmer and Bikaner reported seeing what appeared to be drones or missiles in the sky, which were again intercepted by air defence systems.

Pakistani drones started entering Indian airspace in Rajasthan around 9 pm. ‘These were drone attacks which were successfully intercepted,’ a BSF officer said, adding that no loss of life or damage was reported.

The BSF said that the attacks were ongoing as of 11 pm Thursday. A complete blackout was enforced in the border districts as a safety measure.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with the DGs of CRPF, BSF and SSB to take stock of the border situation.

‘To take an update on the current situation of border connecting areas, Shah has spoken with them and asked them to provide all assistance to the local police and administration to handle any sort of potential contingency. Shah also spoke to the head of CISF to take an update on the current status of airports,’ an official said.