NEW DELHI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - High-resolution satellite images reviewed by Reuters show that a religious school run by Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in northeastern Pakistan appears to be still standing days after India claimed its warplanes had hit the Islamist group’s training camp on the site and killed a large number of militants.
A school even one potentially run by a terrorist outfit is NOT a legitimate target UNLESS a VHVT is identified to be in it at the moment of strike. Even then great care has to be taken to minimize colleteral damage like ensuring innocent women, children and others are not near the vicinity of the blast.
Even a VHVT like OBL had to be identified with relatively high assurance and even then a ground team strike force had to be inserted for the mission. It would've been far easier had the USAF etc just bombed his compound to smithereens but the colleteral damage would've been unimaginable and identification not possible.
Aside from the intrusion to a sovereign airspace, India has to answer WHY this particular target was chosen. Who was in it that was so important? Can they prove he was actually there?
Pakistan will also have to play a role in regards to this compound. If it is indeed a legitimate 'bad guys' place why hasn't it been identified and if necessary targeted? Surely ISI etc. knows about it.
This is what happens when people don't talk to each other.
As it stands now, it doesn't matter because IAF failed in their mission anyway. Perhaps it was a blessings in disguise because had they succeeded and innocent lives were lost who knows what the repercussions would've been like.
