FOR PAHALGAM'S FALLEN

Operation Sindoor: India targets terror at its source

- SIMONTINI BHATTACHARJEE

• Destroys 9 LeT, JeM terror hubs in Pakistan, Pok, avenges Pahalgam attack

In a swift, measured and coordinated blitz, India launched its most extensive cross-border strikes in recent times, targeting nine terror facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) early on Wednesday.

The operation, named Operation Sindoor, was conducted in retaliation to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 civilians, most of them tourists.

The offensive was executed jointly by the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force. Between 1:05 am and 1:30 am, a total of 24 precision-guided missiles were launched, destroying key infrastructure associated with terror groups. Indian intelligence reports suggest that around 70 terrorists were killed in the targeted strikes.

During a press briefing in New Delhi, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, accompanied by Colonel Sophia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, confirmed that the strikes were limited in scope and carefully calibrated. Misri stated that the operation was a direct response to the April 22 incident and aimed at dismantling infrastructure used to plan and launch cross-border terrorist attacks.

Misri highlighted that the decision to act came after it became apparent that no steps had been taken by Pakistan to dismantle the terror infrastructure operating from its soil.

According to him, the response was in line with the United Nations Security Council's call to hold perpetrators and sponsors of terrorism accountable.

The targeted areas included Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Bahawalpur, Rawalakot, Chakswari, Bhimber, Neelum Valley, Jhelum, and Chakwal-locations previously identified by Indian intelligence as hubs for terror activity. These sites were associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), organisations that have carried out numerous attacks in India over the past two decades.