Operation Sindoor:
Over 80 terrorists killed in strikes on Pak, PoK terror camps
"No-one wants a war with the world already on fire, and especially one between two nuclear rivals. This is the time for states with good relations with both India and Pakistan - the US but also the Arab Gulf states - to work the phones and urge the two to look for off ramps before nuclear escalation risks set in." -- BBC
An estimated 25 to 30 terrorists were killed at each of the two largest targeted sites, Bahawalpur and Muridke.
The Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) had identified each of the nine targets following extensive surveillance over the weeks and months.
Aptly named Operation Sindoor as terrorists had targeted Hindu men and the April 22, 2025 tragedy had left several Hindu women wailing as their husbands were killed mercilessly and without any provocation.
Based on this intelligence, the military executed the strikes in a meticulously coordinated plan, attacking three high-value Lashkar targets, four Jaish and two Hizbul Mujahideen locations.
In India's deepest cross-border strikes since Balakot in 2019, nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK were hit by Indian forces under 'Operation Sindoor', including Jaish-e-Mohammad's Bahawalpur base and Lashkar's Muridke facility.
Mosque of Maulana Masood Azhar in Bahawalpur -- 'India Today'
One of the most significant targets was the JeM headquarters in Bahawalpur, located around 100 km from the border.
The town is widely considered the nerve centre of JeM operations and has been under Indian radar since the Pulwama attack in 2019.
It was a well calibrated response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that had claimed the lives of 26 tourists - mostly (if not all) Hindus.
Indian armed forces on early Wednesday (post- mid-night of May 6) launched "focused and precise" missile strikes on nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) leaving the enemy nation shell-shocked, red-faced and bleeding.
The attack, named "Operation Sindoor", targeted infrastructure linked to three major terror outfits: Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Indian officials spoke to their multiple counterparts in various countries to brief them about the strike. These include US, Russia, Saudi Arabia. NSA Ajit Doval spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
It is understood that at least 80 terrorists have been eliminated prompting Pakistan to remark -- "India has crossed limits".
A major strike hit Muridke, 30 km from the India-Pakistan border opposite Samba.
The location is known for housing a Lashkar-e-Taiba facility directly linked to the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
The armed forces also struck deep inside PoK. In the Tangdhar sector, missiles hit the Sawai camp — an LeT hub linked to a series of high-profile attacks, including Sonmarg (October 20, 2024), Gulmarg (October 24, 2024), and the recent Pahalgam ambush.
Gulpur, 35 km from the Line of Control in the Poonch-Rajauri belt, was also targeted. Intelligence inputs suggest its role in both the April 2023 ambush on Indian soldiers in Poonch and the June 2024 attack on a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims.
The Indian action covered a wide geographical span:
BAHAWALPUR: 100 Km from International Boundary (JeM Headquarters)
MURIDKE: 30 Km from border, opposite Samba (LeT camp linked to 26/11 Mumbai attacks)
GULPUR: 35 Km from LoC, Poonch-Rajauri (linked to 2023 Poonch attack and 2024 bus attack on pilgrims)
SAWAI: 30 Km inside Pak-Occupied Kashmir (linked to Sonmarg attack, Gulmarg attack and recent Pahalgam attack)
BILAL CAMP: JeM launchpad
KOTLI CAMP: 15 Km from LoC, opposite Rajauri (LeT bomber camp)
BARNALA CAMP: 10 Km from LoC, opposite Rajauri
SARJAL CAMP: 8 Km from IB, opposite Samba-Kathua (JeM camp)
MEHMOONA CAMP: 15 Km from IB, near Sialkot (Hizbul Mujahideen training camp)
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snaps from Muzaffarabad (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) after attack by Indian forces (AP snaps ... 'The Guardian' ) |
Schools in Pakistan's capital Islamabad and in Punjab province have been shut, as the country says it is preparing to respond to the Indian strikes.
Earlier on Wednesday, India said it had launched strikes on nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir in response to last month's militant attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people. Delhi blames Islamabad for the killings - a charge it denies.
In the last few days, Pakistan’s military and government had been offering journalists escorted visits to Bahawalpur and areas near Muzaffarabad - sites that Pakistan’s military says are among the areas hit by the strikes.
Islamabad said it wanted to debunk India's claims that these were militant training camps.
The country's Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar has now said there were eight civilian casualties and 35 injured.
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