KARACHI: Indian airstrikes in Pakistan’s Balakot area have been proved to be a botched Indian operation by neutral experts.
According to a report prepared by Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFR), which catalyzes a global network of digital forensic analysts following conflicts in real time said “open-source evidence suggested that the strike was unsuccessful”.
The DFR geolocated the site of the attack and provided a preliminary damage assistance.
It said the site of strike was identified as “Jaba Top”, some 10 kilometers from Balakot.
Referring to the images of the area, shared by Pakistani military after the Indian strike, the report stated that “immediate imagery seemed to corroborate the army’s statement that the payload by Indian warplanes was dropped in a hurry and explode in an open area.
“The most identifiable photo was of the fins, which closely resembled those on the Israeli-produced SPICE-2000 precision-guided munitions (PGM). SPICE uses INS/GPS coordinates for autonomous navigation and electro-optical seekers for target identification and terminal navigation. According to Rafael, the manufacturer of the SPICE series of PGMs, the electro-optical sensor matches the scene with pre-loaded imagery for accurate target acquisition and homing,” the report authored by Michael J. Sheldon.
Alluding to initial reports that Indian Mirage 2000 dropped 1,000 KG bombs on their tagets, the DFRLab report said SPICE-2000 is of the same size.
It said the bombs dropped in Pakistani area are compatible with warplanes.
Using images video footage of the area targeted in the strike, @DFR Lab confirmed conclusively that the attack took place near Jaba Top.
The report quoted India’s Colonel Vinayak Bhat who seemed to agree with the DFRLab’s assessment about the location in an article which he wrote after the strikes on Tuesday.
The DFRLAB analyzed a video from the area to assess the damages inflicted by the Indian Air Force.
“The video showed a large patch of wooded area affected by the bombing, but no sign of damaged structures or personal injury,” the report stated.
In the conclusion part of the report, the author wrote among other points that the video showed a large patch of wooded area affected by the bombing, but no sign of damaged structures or personal injury”.