India strikes Pakistan: Following India’s launch of ‘Operation Sindoor’ in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar on Wednesday admitted that 10 members of his family and four close associates were killed in an Indian missile strike on the group’s headquarters in Bahawalpur.
What Masood Azhar said?
In a statement attributed to Azhar, he identified the deceased as his elder sister and her husband, a nephew and his wife, another niece, and five children from his extended family. The statement also confirmed the deaths of one of his key associate, his mother, and two other close companions, reports PTI. The Indian missile strike targeted the Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur, which served as JeM’s central command facility.
What is ‘Operation Sindoor’?
The missile strike was part of ‘Operation Sindoor’, a coordinated and precise retaliation by the Indian Armed Forces following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives. Addressing a press briefing, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh outlined the strategic objectives and execution of the operation, emphasising its focus on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Nine terror camps targeted across Pakistan and PoK
Colonel Qureshi confirmed that nine terror camps were hit, four in Pakistan and five in PoK. Among the Pakistani targets were camps in Bahawalpur, Muridke, Sarjal, and Mehmoona Joya—all known hubs of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizbul Mujahideen activity.
The Sarjal camp in Sialkot, located 6 km inside Pakistan, reportedly trained those involved in the March 2025 killing of four Jammu and Kashmir police officers. The Mehmoona Joya camp, also in Sialkot, was identified as a major Hizbul Mujahideen facility tied to the 2016 Pathankot attack. The Markaz Taiba camp in Muridke, known for training 2008 Mumbai attackers, was also destroyed.
What Indian Army said about Operation Sindoor?
Operation Sindoor was carried out between 1:05 am and 1:30 am on Wednesday by the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. Colonel Qureshi emphasised that no Pakistani military installations were targeted and that no civilian casualties have been reported so far.
PoK terror camps eliminated
In PoK, strikes neutralised camps responsible for recent attacks in Sonamarg, Gulmarg, and Pahalgam. These included Lashkar’s Shawai Nallah in Muzaffarabad, JeM’s Syedna Bilal, and LeT-linked facilities in Gulpur, Barnala, and Kotli.
(With agency inputs)