Was always prepared to strike Pak terror camps, central leadership had to take call: Former Air Force chief

Former Air Force chief BS Dhanoa on Saturday said that there were plans to strike terror camps in Pakistan at least twice before the Balakot strikes.

Dhanoa said that the Air Force had proposed attacking the Pakistan-based terror camps after the 2001 Parliament attacks.

An Air Force strike was also proposed after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in 2008, Dhanoa said.

"After the J-K Assembly attack in 2001, the IAF started planning how to strike terrorist camps if there was any large-scale terrorist attack in India. This proposal was put to the government twice," Dhanoa said.

"It was put to the government after the Parliament attack, and again when the government asked about it," he added.

Dhanoa said that the IAF had always been prepared to carry out a strike and that the central leadership had to take a call on the same. 

"IAF has always been ready (to carry out a) strike and we have the strike capability. National leadership had to make a decision," he said.

"This time, national leadership took the decision and we carried out," he said.

Dhanoa was the air chief between December 31, 2016, and September 30, 2019. It was under his command that the Indian Air Force carried out strikes at Pakistan-based terror camps in Balakot, Pakistan after the ghastly Pulwama terror attack in February.

(With inputs from ANI)