Operation Sindoor: Bigger than Balakot, 2016 surgical strike; 9 terror targets hit in Pakistan, PoK

Operation Sindoor by the Indian Armed Forces on nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) late on Wednesday night marks one of India’s most significant retaliatory actions in recent years, following the Balakot airstrikes in 2019 and the surgical strikes after the Uri attack in 2016.

While the exact details of the operation and the weapons used remain unclear, it is believed that the Indian forces used high-precision missile strikes.

The forces targeted nine terror sites in Pakistan and PoK, including locations in Bahawalpur, Muridke, and Sialkot in Pakistan’s Punjab, as well as Muzaffarabad and Kotli in PoK. These areas are known to host terror camps.

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Here is the list of the nine locations hit by the Indian strikes in response to the Pahalgam attack:

Bahawalpur: About 100 km from the International Border; headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

Muridke: Around 30 km from the border near Samba; Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) training camp.

Gulpur: Located 35 km from the LoC in the Poonch-Rajouri area.

Sawai: LeT camp 30 km inside PoK, in the Tangdhar sector.

Bilal Camp: A known JeM launchpad.

Kotli Camp: LeT camp 15 km from the LoC, opposite Rajouri.

Barnala Camp: Around 10 km from the LoC, also opposite Rajouri.

Sarjal Camp: JeM facility about 8 km from the International Border near Samba-Kathua.

Mehmoona Camp: Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) training camp, 15 km from the border near Sialkot.

Bahawalpur, headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammed

Bahawalpur, located near the Rajasthan border across the Thar Desert, is a well-known stronghold of the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group, led by Maulana Masood Azhar. Azhar was one of three terrorists released by India in exchange for the passengers of hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in December 1999. He was born in Bahawalpur in 1968.

India conducts Operation Sindoor

In response to the deadly Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people, the Indian Armed Forces launched missile strikes early Wednesday on nine terror targets in Pakistan and PoK, including Bahawalpur.

The strikes were part of Operation Sindoor, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement issued at 1:44 am. It added that the action was “focused, measured, and non-escalatory in nature”.

The Indian statement read, “A little while ago, the Indian Armed Forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed.” It further stated: “No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and method of execution.”

In a post on X in Hindi shortly after the strikes, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “Long live Mother India! (Bharat Mata Ki Jai)”.

Justice is served: Indian Army

Following Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army posted on X, “Justice is served.” The operation came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the armed forces full freedom to respond to the Pahalgam terror attack.

PM Modi monitoring Operation Sindoor through the night

Prime Minister Narendra Modi closely monitored Operation Sindoor through the night as the Indian Armed Forces carried out precision strikes on terror groups and their hideouts in Pakistan and PoK, news agency ANI reported.