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Updated: Feb 26, 2019 18:58 IST

The central government on Tuesday briefed the opposition parties over pre-dawn strike by the Indian Air Force on terror camps deep across the Line of Control (LoC). Emerging from the meeting, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said the opposition parties extended “full support” to the government and security forces in the fight against terror.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj briefed the opposition leaders at the all-party meeting held at Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Vijay Goel, Congress leader Azad and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah among others.

“We have appreciated the efforts by the forces, they always have our support to end terrorism. Another good thing is that it was a clean operation in which no civilian died and terror camps were specifically targeted,” said Azad.

Swaraj said, “I am happy that all parties in one voice praised the security forces and supported the government’s anti-terror operations.”

News agency ANI reported quoting sources that Swaraj briefed the opposition leader about her telephonic conversation with US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo over the Indian air strikes on JeM terror camps in Balakot.

In the last all-party meeting also, convened in the wake of Pulwama terror attack, the opposition parties had said they backed the government calling upon to take all necessary action in the aftermath of the terror attack killing at least 40 CRPF soldiers.

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Earlier in the day, when reports of IAF operation broke, several opposition leaders including Congress president Rahul Gandhi praised the air force for the strike on terror camps. Gandhi wrote on Twitter” “I salute the pilots of the IAF.”

“Congratulations to our brave air force for a brilliant operation across the LOC,” said former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy, Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav are among the opposition leaders, who extended support to the armed forces.

The IAF conducted the strike on terror camps early this morning. Confirming the cross-LoC IAF operation, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said Jaish-e-Mohammed’s biggest terror camp was destroyed in the strike. Jaish-e-Mohammed had claimed responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack on February 14.

A CRPF convoy carrying more than 2,500 soldiers from Jammu to Srinagar was targeted by a suicide bomber, who rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into one of the buses of the security forces. The terror strike saw swift action by the government.

India withdrew the most favoured nation status granted to Pakistan in 1996. It also increased tariff on imports from Pakistan by 200 per cent. It also decided to stop India’s quota of water from flowing to Pakistan. IAF attack is being viewed as the latest in the series.