Pak downs MiG-21, another
jet crashes
High
alert sounded; additional troops rushed
From
Girja Shankar Kaura
Tribune News Service
NEW DELHI, May 27 —
Having lost two Indian Air Force fighter planes, a MiG-21
to a surface to air missile fired by Pakistan and a
MiG-27 due to mechanical fault, India responded with
heavy artillery firing and continuous air strikes on the
positions held by the infiltrators.
As per reports, the
Indian defence forces had been put on high alert.
Besides, additional troops had been moved to the border
region and squadrons of MiG-29s had also been moved to
Udhampur from Pune.
While till this morning
only the Army and the Air Force had been told to be on
alert, the Ministry of Defence late today also put the
Indian Navy on alert. The decision apparently was taken
after the emergency meeting of the Cabinet Committee on
Security (CCS). All Navy personnel have been asked to
stay in a state of readiness, sources said.
There were also reports
that the leave of all defence personnel, specially those
in the region, had also been cancelled. However, no
official confirmation was available to this effect till
late in the night.
As per reports available
here, following the shooting down of a MiG-21 aircraft by
a surface to air missile from across the border, the IAF
got into strong action and carried out more strikes in
the region occupied by the infiltrators. Indian forces
also opened heavy artillery firing all along the border
extending from Kupwara to Akhnoor.
The troops were firing
artillery shells at various points in Kupwara, Uri,
Macchal, Poonch, Rajouri and Akhnoor to dislodge the
intruders and to also block routes of further
infiltration.
Sources here did not
rule out the possibility of further air strikes during
the night and before the dawn broke out. The artillery
firing was also expected to continue through the night.
India described the
shooting down of the MiG-21 aircraft by a missile fired
from across the border as a hostile act and one which was
provocative. Pakistani troops stationed across the border
shot the Indian MiG by surface to air missile (SAM).
India lost a MiG-21 and
a MiG 27 fighter aircraft during the second round of
strike this morning. While the MiG-27 was lost due to
technical snag, the MiG-21 was shot down by Pakistan
while operating well within the Indian LoC.
India however also said
that it had no intentions of targeting positions across
the border and would be operating in restrain well within
its own territory within the LoC. It said the
responsibility for escalating the situation would
entirely be on Pakistan, as the Indian MiG had been shot
at while operating well within the Indian territory.
Giving details, Air Vice
Marshal S.K. Malik, Additional Assistant Chief of the Air
Staff (Operations), said one of the MiG-27 deployed in
the second round of strike carried out in the morning
developed engine trouble and caught fire. He said the
pilot after giving the information ejected.
A MiG-21 which was also
part of the operation, getting the signal followed the
MiG-27 to locate the position of the ejected pilot, which
would have given the retrieving parties an advantage. The
MiG-21 which was said to be flying close to the LoC was
however fired upon with a missile and was also hit,
forcing its pilot to eject.
Earlier the IAF said
that the MiG-21 had developed a technical snag and the
MiG-27 was hit. However after the status report was
received late in the evening, the order was reversed and
it was clarified that in fact MiG-27 developed the
technical snag and the MiG-21 was hit.
AVM Malik said there was
still no information available to the whereabouts of the
two pilots. He said that there was no information
available as yet. When asked specifically whether one of
the pilots had been captured by the Pakistanis, AVM Malik
again said that there was no information as yet, while
adding that efforts were under way to track them down.
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