The Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of Wednesday, targeting terrorist infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK). The operation struck nine specific sites four in Pakistan and five in POK between 1:05 am and 1:30 am, according to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

Speaking on the strikes, Misri said India had exercised its right to act against terrorism, describing the operation as “measured, non-escalatory, proportionate, and responsible.” The focus, he added, was to dismantle terror camps and prevent infiltration attempts across the border. He clarified that no military installations were targeted and there were no confirmed reports of collateral damage.

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Pakistan, however, claimed civilian casualties, including women and children and alleged the downing of five Indian Air Force jets. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khwaja Asif told CNN that their armed forces responded with missile fire, downing Indian jets in a “dogfight”, calling it a “befitting lesson”,

When pressed for evidence by a CNN anchor, Asif pointed to social media as proof. “There are videos all over…not just on Pakistan’s social media but on India’s too,” he said, without presenting verifiable material.

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These sites where India conducted air strikes were linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), groups responsible for several attacks on Indian soil.

According to an official statement, the strikes met all operational objectives. Reconnaissance using UAVs confirmed the successful destruction of key infrastructure, including command centres, arms depots, training camps and staging points used for cross-border infiltration.

Internationally, the operation received widespread support for its counter-terrorism objective. However, Turkiye stood out as one of the few nations to publicly back Pakistan following the strikes. Azerbaijan also released a statement shortly afterward, condemning the use of force against Pakistan.