Air strikes will be more precise now

Briefing mediapersons here after an aerial recce and on-spot consultations with Army field commanders in Kargil today morning, Air Chief Marshal Tipnis said the 8220;Army had done a fantastic job under most difficult conditions and had acted under great restraint8221;.

Air strikes were continuing today, he said, as he exuded confidence that the Indian forces would ultimately be successful against the intruders even though operations were slowed down by theterrain, the IAF chief said, 8220;In several areas the Army has pushed back the intruders some kilometres and have taken over some salient features. The morale of the troops and the commanders is very high.8221;

Asked whether air surveillance of the LoC could have prevented the intrusion, he said,8220;It is not possible to have a 24-hour surveillance either through satellites or through aircraft.8221;

He promised that air strikes would get more effective in the days to come as the IAF had been carrying out detailed evaluation of the weaponry, tactics and the type of attacks being carried out. However, the air chief said the IAF accepted that use of air power in such 8220;counter-surface8221; operations was not the most effective means of using airpower.

8220;It is difficult to locate the targets, the intruders are thinly spread on the ridges and the results are not in keeping with the effort put in. Where the IAF can play a role of hitting the supply lines that support the intruders, it has been given orders not to violatethe LoC,8221; he said.

While refusing to quantify the damage caused by the air strikes and reveal the air weapon systems used, the IAF chief said,8220;We are attacking several locations and the air strikes have been quite effective on the forward supply bases of the intruders.8221;

When asked if the conflict could spiral into war, the IAF chief said,8220;We are prepared for anything if forced into it.8221; Yet at the same time, said the IAF chief, 8220;India has come across as restrained, wise and civilised and has acted with immense restraint despite grave provocation.8221;

Commenting on airspace intrusions by both India and Pakistan, the IAF chief ruled out any IAF jet having gone across the LoC. 8220;We have only engaged targets on our side of the LoC. But I do admit that the two MIGs that crashed could have gone across after one developed a technical snag while the other one responding to its distress call was shot down even though he maintained his side. But he could have fallen across. I have no proof either way,8221; hesaid.

But Pakistani aircraft have intruded across the LoC and the international border earlier on and their helicopters have operated clandestinely in our LoC sectors which has been reported by the Army, he said.