Latest news with #Fidayeen
Time of India
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
IAF successfully executes tasks under Operation Sindoor; says Operations still ongoing
The Indian Air Force ( IAF ) on Sunday took to X to announce that it has successfully executed its assigned tasks in Operation Sindoor with "professionalism and precision", adding that the job was done in a deliberate manner. #Operation Sindoor India responds to Pak's ceasefire violation; All that happened India-Pakistan ceasefire reactions: Who said what Punjab's hopes for normalcy dimmed by fresh violations "The Indian Air Force (IAF) has successfully executed its assigned tasks in Operation Sindoor, with precision and professionalism. Operations were conducted in a deliberate and discreet manner, aligned with National Objectives." — IAF_MCC (@IAF_MCC) by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Clear, Compelling Writing in Seconds With This Desktop App Grammarly Install Now Undo The IAF however, added that it would provide a detailed briefing soon as the Operations are still ongoing, urging people to refrain from speculation from unverified information. "Since the Operations are still ongoing, a detailed briefing will be conducted in due course. The IAF urges all to refrain from speculation and dissemination of unverified information." Live Events You Might Also Like: Pakistan: Key JeM stronghold reduced to rubble after Indian strike under 'Operation Sindoor' India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in reply to a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalganm on April 22, which killed 26 civilians. It was followed by heightened tensions between the two nations as Pakistan launched a series of drone attacks on several Indian cities. India and Pakistan agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire, effective from 5 PM on Saturday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced. The stoppage of firing and military action between India and Pakistan was worked out directly between the two countries, as per sources. India has worked this out bilaterally and not as a result of mediation, the sources said. You Might Also Like: JeM's Pak centres: Breeding ground for Fidayeen, links to Hamas, stockpiled NATO arms However, India said Pakistan violated an agreement to stop military action against each other, hours after the accord was reached and had gone into effect at 5 pm on Saturday. 'For the last few hours, there have been repeated violations of the understanding arrived at earlier this evening,' foreign secretary Vikram Misri said at a televised briefing late on Saturday. 'The armed forces are giving an adequate and appropriate response to these violations. We call upon Pakistan to take appropriate steps to address these violations and deal with the situation with seriousness and responsibility.' Operation Sindoor The Indian Armed Forces' precision strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on May 7's Operation Sindoor resulted in the elimination of high-profile terrorists affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), including Maulana Yusuf Azhar , wanted for the IC-814 hijacking. According to sources, targets also included key figures involved in radical indoctrination, weapons training, and the coordination of terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. Details from the source further revealed that the funeral sessions of some of the targets were also attended by top officials in the PakistArmy, Police as well as the government, which exhibits Pakistan's false claims of not nurturing terrorist hideouts in the country. Lashkar-e-Taiba-affiliated Mudassar Khadian Khas and Khalid, alias Abu Akasha, were two of the terrorists killed in the May 7 strikes. Khas was in charge of Markaz Taiba in Muridke and received a guard of honour at his funeral from the Pakistan Army. Wreaths were also laid on behalf of Pakistan Army Chief and Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz for Khas and his funeral prayer was held in a government school, led by a designated global terrorist Hafiz Abdul Rauf of Jamaat-ul-Dawa (JuD). A serving Lt General of the Pakistan Army and the Inspector General of Pakistan's Punjab Police also attended his prayer ceremony. Khalid, on the other hand, was involved in multiple terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and engaged in weapons smuggling from Afghanistan. His funeral, held in Pakistan's Faisalabad, was attended by senior Pakistani Army officials and the Deputy Commissioner of Faisalabad. Meanwhile, Jaish-e-Mohammed-affiliated Hafiz Muhammed Jameel, Mohammad Yusuf Azhar the brother in law of Masood Azhar and Mohammad Hassan Khan were also killed during the precision strike. Mohammad Yusuf Azhar, brother-in-law of Maulana Masood Azhar, was wanted for the IC-814 hijacking case. He also used to handle weapons training for JeM and was involved in multiple terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. Eldest brother-in-law of Maulana Masood Azhar, Hafiz Muhammed Jameel, was another target who was in charge of Markaz Subhan Allah in Pakistan's Bahawalpur. He was actively involved in radical indoctrination of youth and fundraising for JeM. Mohammad Hassan Khan, son of Mufti Asghar Khan Kashmiri, was the operational commander of JeM in (PoK) who played a key role in coordinating terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian Armed Forces during Operation Sindoor destroyed five terror camps in PoK and four in Pakistan.
Scroll.in
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Godi media fake news: spreading panic, escalating war tensions
Karachi port destroyed? Fidayeen attack? Pakistani pilot captured? Host Kritika Pant discusses the fake news storm that Indian news channels are spreading with Scroll reporter Ayush Tiwari and political editor Shoaib Daniyal. Play
The Print
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
From his lair, JeM chief Masood Azhar calls on jihadists to fight for ‘vengeance' against India
The Government of Pakistan claims Azhar escaped from house arrest in 2019, and made his way to Afghanistan. Those claims are denied by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The latest letters, however, make clear he is in close contact with events in his homeland. From his Inter-Services Intelligence-provided safehouse, the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief has now issued directions, urging his followers to respond to India's air strikes by following Talha's steps. The words are of political significance: Azhar lies at the heart of powerful clerical networks in southern Punjab in Pakistan, which have a deep influence in poor communities, parts of the urban middle class, and sections of the military rank-and-file. New Delhi: The eulogy was strangely erotic, written by jihad commander Masood Azhar Alvi for his nephew, Talha Rashid, who was slain in combat in Kashmir in 2017. 'The martyr's sins are forgiven when the first drop of his blood falls,' he wrote, 'and he is spared the agony of the grave, the terrors of the day of judgment; he is married to seventy-two virgins; his family granted God's mercy. His head wears a crown of honour, any one of the gems studding it more valuable than all this world.' Large numbers of Fidayeen groups of the JeM have carried out attacks in Kashmir, as well as across the rest of India—from the Akshardham Temple to the Jammu & Kashmir legislative assembly, and Parliament House. Two Indian intelligence officials ThePrint spoke to said that in the event of a long-drawn war, those groups would be brought into play to harry Indian military movement along the strategically vital highway linking Pathankot with Jammu, and on to the Kashmir valley. They also pointed to the risk of escalating Fidayeen attacks after a possible ceasefire. Following the end of the Kargil war, the JeM and LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) intensified operations, killing a record 763 military and police personnel in 1999, another 788 in 2000, and 883 in 2001, the year before a ceasefire was brokered on the Line of Control, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal. Those fatalities far exceeded India's losses in the Kargil war itself. 'The real worry is that the heavy firing on the LoC pushes our troops to take defensive cover, which makes infiltration much easier,' a senior Jammu and Kashmir Police officer told ThePrint. 'There are already worrying signs that infiltration has taken place through Gulmarg and Rajouri.' In his 8 May letter, Azhar writes: 'It has been 36 hours since India's cowardly and murderous attack, and people are still awaiting retribution. The Indian jets that were downed were not revenge or retribution. The aircraft did what they had come to do. They could not be stopped. Technology these days makes that problematic. I don't want to blame anyone. The attack happened. Now, retaliatory action is vital.' He adds that if there is no retaliation, the alternative would be 'utter destruction—a destruction which will be unleashed upon by nature'. 'This destruction descends on those Muslims who forsake their faith. The undoing of the Tartars was that they got scared and ended up being annihilated. Those who held their ground alone survived. For God's sake, understand the Quran and save your country. Whoever decides to initiate a retaliatory action will be the true hero and leader of this country, and will have the respect of the world on the day of judgment.' He further writes: 'We are not asking for revenge for the blood that was spilt. This was very pure and priceless blood. This blood has already started taking its revenge, and the inheritors of this blood understand their responsibilities.' Invoking the 'martyrs' An earlier missive, issued on 7 May, had pointed to personal losses, saying, 'The home in which we lived had four children, aged between four and 10, and they have all moved to Paradise together. Their parents are alone now. This journey to Paradise is reserved for those Allah loves the most. Their time of departure was destined, but they have been given eternal life. This action of India has broken all limits. Nobody on his side should hope for mercy. The destroyed dome of the Jama Masjid will rain such hell that will be remembered by many generations to come.' Although Azhar's JeM occupies a limited space in Pakistani Punjab's religious landscape, it is enmeshed with a broader network of right-wing groups, like the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan and the Tablighi Jama'at. These networks of organisations have often succeeded in mounting pressure on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government and the army itself. (Edited by Mannat Chugh) Also Read: Fidayeen factories of Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke, Jaish in Bahawalpur targeted in Operation Sindoor
India.com
08-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
What JeM's centres mean for Pakistan? Breeding ground for Fidayeen, links to Hamas, stockpiled NATO arms...
What JeM's centres meant for Pakistan? Breeding ground for Fidayeen, links to Hamas, stockpiled NATO arms... The banned Jaish-e-Mohammed's terror group's two 'Markaz' (centres) – its Bahawalpur headquarters and Narowal in Pakistan's Punjab – functioned as a breeding ground for suicide attackers, had links with Palestine's Hamas and served as a facility for hoarding smuggled NATO arms from Afghanistan, officials said here on Thursday. Both these centres located on the opposite ends of Pakistan's Punjab province were among the nine targets hit by missiles launched by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in the early hours of Wednesday, in a strong retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, in which 25 tourists and a local guide were gunned down by terrorists. According to the officials, the Bahawalpur centre of JeM, spread over 15 acres, is run by de-facto chief Abdul Rauf Asgar and the area has residential houses of JeM founder Masood Azhar and other family members. Masood Azhar acknowledged after the IAF strikes codenamed 'Operation Sindoor' that 10 members of his family and four close associates were killed in India's missile attack on the outfit's headquarters in Bahawalpur. A statement attributed to Azhar said those killed in the attack on Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur included the JeM chief's elder sister and her husband, a nephew and his wife, another niece, and five children from his extended family. The Bahawalpur centre is notorious for hoarding arms and ammunition left behind by the NATO forces in Afghanistan, the officials said. They said Bahawalpur is often frequented by JeM commanders who were fighting in Afghanistan, and that Asgar purchases as well as smuggles consignments of weaponry, including M4 series rifles, through a network of criminals based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which was earlier known as North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Besides the M4 series, the arms and ammunition included sniper rifles, armour-piercing bullets, Night Vision Devices (NVD), and rifles fitted with NVD. About the centre in Narowal, the officials said the Markaz has been used for learning tactics from the Palestine Hamas group. The involvement of Hamas started in 2014 when one of the Jaish terrorists, Mohammed Adnan Ali, codenamed 'Doctor,' had imparted paraglider training to operatives of another group, Khalistan Tiger Force Ramandeep Singh alias Goldy, in Thailand. The training was given by Jagtar Singh Tara who was deported to India and his associates Jaswinder Singh Jassa and Mohammad Umar Gondal. The tactics for use of tunnels for infiltration and paragliding seem to be inspired by the modus operandi used by Hamas in the Middle East, the officials said, adding further that there are multiple inputs about regular interactions of JeM terrorists of JeM with Hamas leaders. Then, in February this year, senior Hamas functionaries addressed a rally on 'Kashmir Solidarity Day' in Rawalakot, PoK, that had top Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad cadres in attendance. The rally was addressed by Hamas spokesperson Khalid Qaddoumi, a development Indian agencies saw as an attempt to link the jihadi campaign in Jammu and Kashmir to the Palestinian fight in Kashmir. The Bahawalpur and Narowal facilities have produced terrorists responsible for multiple suicide attacks in India, including the 2016 strike at the Pathankot IAF base and the 2020 attack in Nagrota. Among those indoctrinated for these 'fidayeen' (suicide) attacks were close relatives of Masood Azhar, specifically his nephew Tallah Rasheed, as well as Usman, Umar, and Mohammed Ismail, also known as 'Lambu'. After being indoctrinated at these facilities, the individuals were reportedly sent to Balakote for arms training.
The Print
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Direct response to terror attack by Pakistan-trained terrorists—Foreign Secy Misri on Op Sindoor
'Those behind the Pahalgam massacre were operating with full backing and shelter from across the border,' he said, underscoring that the Indian strikes were aimed at dismantling the infrastructure that enables such attacks. The 22 April terror attack was not only aimed at killing innocents but also at fuelling communal tensions and derailing the return to normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir, he said at a press briefing Wednesday. New Delhi: Hours after India carried out Operation Sindoor to take out terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri categorically said that the strikes came in direct response to the Pahalgam terror attack, which was carried out by Pakistani and Pakistan-trained Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives. 'Pakistani and Pakistan-trained terrorists belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba carried out a savage attack on Indian tourists in Pahalgam,' Misri said. 'They murdered 26 people, including one national of Nepal, causing the largest number of civilian casualties in a terrorist attack in India since 26/11.' He noted that the attack was marked by 'extreme barbarity,' with victims shot in the head at close range, often in front of their families. 'Family members were deliberately traumatised through the manner of the killing, accompanied by the exhortation that they should take back the message,' he added. Misri was joined by Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, who provided operational details of the late-night military strikes. Later, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi confirmed nine terror camps were destroyed in Operation Sindoor. Also Read: Fidayeen factories of Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke, Jaish in Bahawalpur targeted in Operation Sindoor 'Calculated to cripple tourism, fuel communal tensions' The Pahalgam attackers' objective was to derail normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly by targeting the region's tourism sector, the foreign secretary said. 'With a record 23 million tourists visiting the (Kashmir) Valley last year, the calculation, presumably, was that harming growth and development in the Union Territory would help keep it backward and create fertile ground for continued cross-border terrorism,' he said. The attack, he added, also appeared designed to provoke communal tensions both in the region and across the country. 'It is to the credit of the government and the people of India that these designs were foiled.' The Resistance Front (TRF) had claimed responsibility for the 22 April terror attack initially. India had previously submitted reports to the UN 1267 Sanctions Committee in May and November 2024 for TRF, a front for the UN-proscribed and Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. 'In December 2023, India had also informed the monitoring team about Lashkar and Jaish-e-Mohammad operating through smaller outfits like TRF,' Misri said. Pakistan's pressure to remove references to TRF from the 25 April UN Security Council press statement on the Pahalgam attack was 'notable,' he said. 'Claims made by The Resistance Front and their amplification by Lashkar-linked social media handles speak for themselves,' he said. 'Identification of the attackers based on eyewitness accounts and other evidence has also progressed.' Misri reiterated that the Pahalgam attack fits into a broader pattern of cross-border terrorism and Pakistan's 'well-documented' record of providing safe haven to internationally designated terrorists. 'Pakistan also has a well-deserved reputation as a haven for terrorists from around the world,' he said, giving the example of 26/11 plotter Sajid Mir, who was declared dead but later found alive and arrested after global pressure. 'The Sajid Mir case is the most glaring example.' 'No demonstrable step to curb terrorism' The Pahalgam attack had generated widespread public anger and prompted India to initiate a set of measures, including diplomatic actions announced 23 April, Misri said. However, despite the passage of two weeks, 'there has been no demonstrable step from Pakistan to take action against the terrorist infrastructure on its territory or territory under its control,' he said. 'Instead, all it has indulged in are denials and allegations.' Citing credible intelligence, Misri said that India's security agencies had assessed that more high-casualty terror strikes were being planned. 'Our intelligence monitoring of Pakistan-based terrorist modules indicated that further attacks against India were impending,' he said. 'There was thus a compulsion both to deter and to pre-empt.' 'Earlier this morning, as you would be aware, India exercised its right to respond and to pre-empt and deter more such cross-border attacks.' Describing the strikes under Operation Sindoor as 'measured, non-escalatory, proportionate and responsible,' Misri said they were focused on disabling known terror infrastructure and neutralising operatives likely to be sent across the border. He also recalled the UN Security Council's 25 April statement on the Pahalgam attack, which underlined 'the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice'. 'India's latest actions should be seen in this context,' the foreign secretary asserted. (Edited by Tony Rai) Also Read: Modi avenged my husband's death with Op Sindoor, says wife of Kanpur trader killed in Pahalgam attack
