March 04, 2019:

On Monday, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa said Air Force doesn't count casualties, they only count targets.

He added that the casualty figure in the air strike on the Jaish camp in Balakot camp will be given out by the Government.

“IAF is not in a postilion to clarify the number of casualties.

"The government will clarify that. We don’t count human casualties, we count what targets we have hit or not,” Dhanoa said in his first comments since the Feb 26 attack on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camp.

The pre-dawn air strike on Feb 26 by the IAF on Jaish’s biggest terror camp in Balakot in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province came on the 13th day of the terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama that left 40 jawans dead.

Air Chief’s statement came a day after BJP Chief Amit Shah said that over 250 terrorists were killed in the airstrike carried out by the IAF.

“After Pulwama attack, everyone thought surgical strike can’t be done this time..now what will happen? At that time PM Narendra Modi-led Central Government did an airstrike on the 13th day and killed more than 250 terrorists without any harm on our side,” Shah said in Gujarat on Sunday.

On the timing of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman return to flying, Air chief Dhanoa said in his press briefing on Monday that medical fitness will decide the issue

“Whether he (Wing Commander #Abhinandan) flies or not depends on his medical fitness. That’s why post ejection, he has undergone medical check. Whatever treatment required, will be given. Once we get his medical fitness, he will get into fighter cockpit,” Dhanoa said.

Abhinandan, whose plane crashed as he chased Pakistani jets, was freed by that country on Friday and is undergoing fitness checks as he received injuries after ejection from the plane and was also attacked by a mob.

Responding to reports of Pakistan having denied any airstrike by India, the Air chief said, “If we plan to hit the target, we hit the target, otherwise why would he (Pak PM) have responded, if we dropped bombs in the jungles why would he respond.”

Commenting on the timing of the induction of the controversial Rafale jet , Dhanoa said it should come into India’s inventory by Sept.

“When an adversary attacks you, every aircraft is used,” Dhanoa said, adding that the MiG 21 jet used in the dog fight with Pakistan is an upgraded aircraft with advanced weapons system.

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