Operation Sindoor: All you need to know about India's strikes on terror sites in Pakistan, PoK
India launched 'Operation Sindoor' in the wee hours of Wednesday, hitting nine terror locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The Indian armed forces carried out the strikes, targetting headquarters of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad, as a response to the terrorist attack on April 22 in south Kashmir's Pahalgam which claimed the lives of 26 civilians.
'#PahalgamTerrorAttack. Justice is Served. Jai Hind!': the Additional Directorate General of Public Information, Indian Army, said in one of the first posts on X following the strikes. It also posted an image that read 'Operation Sindoor'.
Why codename 'Operation Sindoor'?
India's retaliatory attack is ostensibly considered a reference to only men being singled out based on their faith before being killed in Pahalgam.
In the briefing, Wing Commander Singh and and Col Sophiya Qureshi detailed out the strikes with footage and maps of terror camps in Pakistan and PoK (AP photo)
When was Operation Sindoor launched?
Operation Sindoor was carried out between 1.05 am and 1.30 am 'to deliver justice to the victims of terror attack and their families,' according to the government briefing.
This marked the most expansive and widespread retaliation by India in recent years, since the Balakot airstrikes in 2019 and the surgical strikes following the Uri attack in 2016.
While the exact nature of the attack or the weapon systems used is not known so far, they are believed to have been high-precision missile strikes. Prior to the strikes, the government was learnt to be working on a multi-pronged military strategy to re-establish deterrence against Pakistan's hostile behaviour.
How many terror camps were hit by India?
Nine terrorist camps were 'targeted and successfully destroyed' by the Indian armed forces.
'The action on terror camps were undertaken through 'precision capability'.. a 'niche technology weapons' with 'careful selection of warheads' was ensured so that there were 'no collateral damage', Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said in the briefing.
'No military establishments were targeted,' Singh added.
What are the locations struck in Pakistan and PoK?
A total of 21 terrorist camps were targetted across nine sites.
In the briefing, Wing Commander Singh and and Col Sophiya Qureshi detailed out the strikes with footage and maps of terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Serial No. Terror camp Location
1. Sawai Nala Pakistan-occupied J&K
2. Syed Na Bilal Pakistan-occupied J&K
3. Maskar-e-Aqsa Pakistan-occupied J&K
4. Chelabandi Pakistan-occupied J&K
5. Abdullah Bin Masood Pakistan-occupied J&K
6. Dulai Pakistan-occupied J&K
7. Garhi Habibullah Pakistan
8. Batrasi Pakistan
9. Balakot Pakistan
10. Oghi Pakistan
11. Boi Pakistan
12. Sensa Pakistan-occupied J&K
13. Gulpur Pakistan-occupied J&K
14. Kotli Pakistan-occupied J&K
15. Barali Pakistan-occupied J&K
16. Dungi Pakistan-occupied J&K
17. Barnala Pakistan-occupied J&K
18. Mehmoona Joya Pakistan
19. Sarjal Pakistan
20. Murdike Pakistan
21. Bahawalpur Pakistan
A total of 21 terrorist camps were targetted across nine sites. (Visual from the govt briefing on Operation Sindoor)
Muridke near Lahore is the home of the Hafiz Saeed-led terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, which carried out the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Muridke has Markaz-e-Taiba, the base camp of the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Kotli in PoK is directly across the Line of Control from Jammu. Poonch in J&K is to its north-east and Rajouri south-east.
How families of Pahalgam attack victims reacted
'Decisive, targeted response': Naval officer Lt Vinay Narwal's father:
Rajesh Narwal praised India's 'appropriate action' and said: 'This is the befitting reply given to terrorists and their perpetrators,' Rajesh. 'It was expected for many days. I thank our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and our armed forces for their decisive and targeted response,' he told The Indian Express over the phone. Vinay, who had got married just a week before the attack, was in Pahalgam with his wife Himashi when terrorists shot him dead at point-blank range.
'Most suitable name for operation': N Ramachandran's daughter from Kerala
Arathi, a resident of Kochi, said they salute the Indian forces and all those behind Operation Sindoor. 'We have been waiting for this day. Now, there is a sense of relief and comfort. There is a feeling that justice was done. Operation Sindoor is the most suitable name for the operation. Nobody can find a better name for this mission,' she said. During the April 22 attack, Arathi was holding on to her father's body till a panicked cry from her children made her move away from the terrorists.
'Bold step': Prashant Satpathy's wife from Odisha
Priyadarshani thanked the Union Government's 'bold step'. 'The terrorists attacked my husband on a Tuesday, and Operation Sindoor also been started on a Tuesday. I request the government to continue the operation to end of terrorism in the world,' she said. The 43-year-old victim worked as an accountant with the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology (CIPET), Bhubaneswar. Satpathy was on a holiday with his wife and and nine-year-old son when he got bullet injuries on his head as they were alighting from a ropeway.
'Should be properly razed': Niraj Udhwani's uncle from Jaipur
'Good work has been done by the Indian Army in attacking their hideouts, but not all of them have been demolished. They (terrorists) can come over (to the Indian side) again so they should be properly razed,' Prakash told The Indian Express on Wednesday. ' The 33-year-old victim lived and worked in Dubai. He and his wife Aayushi were there to attend a wedding after which the couple took a holiday trip to Pahalgam for a couple of days.
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