{"data":{"id":"fact_t09y2bmjpz","thread":{"slug":"india-pakistan-conflict","title":"India–Pakistan Conflict"},"occurredAt":"2019-02-26T00:00:00.000Z","recordedAt":"2026-09-02T03:42:05.403Z","title":"India strikes Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Balakot, first since 1971","body":"On 26 February 2019, Indian Air Force warplanes crossed into Pakistani airspace and bombed a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp near Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The strike was in response to a suicide attack on Indian security forces in Pulwama, Kashmir, that killed 40 personnel. Pakistan denied significant damage and retaliated with an aerial engagement the next day, leading to a dogfight and the capture of an Indian pilot. The strikes were the first Indian airstrikes on Pakistani territory since the 1971 war.","location":"Balakot, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan","actors":["Indian Air Force","Jaish-e-Mohammed","Pakistan Armed Forces"],"verdict":"VERIFIED","verdictNote":"Multiple reputable sources confirm that on 26 February 2019, Indian warplanes struck a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp at Balakot inside Pakistan, marking the first Indian airstrikes on Pakistani territory since 1971. The New Yorker article references the 2019 strikes as a precursor to the current conflict, while other sources like Reuters and BBC reported the event at the time. No credible source contradicts the claim.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/the-dynamics-behind-the-current-india-pakistan-clash","title":"The Dynamics Behind the India-Pakistan Clash","publisher":"The New Yorker","retrievedAt":"2026-09-02"}],"tags":["india-pakistan","air-strike","balakot","jaish-e-mohammed","kashmir"],"views":3,"updatedAt":"2026-09-03T00:12:52.805Z","media":[],"relatedFactIds":[],"url":"/fact/fact_t09y2bmjpz"}}