Before Indian Air Force (IAF) jets struck the Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) terror camp in Balakot on February 26, technical surveillance by Indian Intelligence agencies had found 300 mobile phones active at the facility, giving a clear indication of the total number of inmates housed there, sources said on Monday.

The National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) had started surveillance of the facility after the IAF was given clearance to target the camp in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, sources said.

On February 26, 12 Mirage 2000 IAF jets penetrated deep inside the Pakistani air space and launched 1,000 kg Spice 2000 bombs at the camp in Balakot, which housed terrorists, including commanders and an ammunition dump.

“During technical surveillance, it emerged that there was presence of around 300 mobile phones with active signal strength inside the facility in the days leading up to the strike. The facility was destroyed by the IAF fighters,” the sources, who wished to remain anonymous due to first hand involvement in operational matters‚ said.

The sources added other Indian Intelligence agencies had also corroborated NTRO’s assessment of active targets with inputs of similar number of Jaish operatives at the Balkot facility. The Government is yet to announce the exact number of terrorists killed in the strike.

However, IAF chief BS Dhanoa, at a Press conference in Coimbatore on Monday, confirmed that the target had been destroyed by Indian fighter jets and that exact casualty numbers was something that the government would release.

The Government gave approval for the airstrikes on the Jaish training camp after the Pakistan-based terror outfit carried out the deadly suicide bombing in Pulwama, killing 44 CRPF personnel.

Hours after the air raid, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale told the media that the IAF fighters hit the largest training camp of JeM in Balakot and eliminated “a large number” of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders.