In response to the Pahalgam terror attacks, the Indian army has launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, hitting nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, from where “from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed.”
In the early hours of May 7, the Ministry of Defence issued a statement, stating, " the Indian Armed Forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor', hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed. Altogether, nine sites have been targeted."
India's focused attacks have terror hubs in Muridke, Kotli, Muzaffarabad, and Bahawalpur. These attacks have left eight dead and more than 35 wounded.
Sialkot, Bahawalpur, Chak Amru, and Muridke lie across the international border, while the remaining targets are situated across the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Muridke serves as the headquarters of the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, led by Hafiz Saeed, while Bahawalpur in Pakistan’s Punjab province is the base of Jaish-e-Mohammad, headed by Masood Azhar.
The strikes were reportedly carried out using precision-guided munitions and kamikaze drones, also known as loitering munitions which home in on targets and destroy them by crashing with explosive warheads.
“Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution,” the Indian Ministry of Defence statement said.
"These steps come in the wake of the barbaric Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were murdered. We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable," it added.
In response, the Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said, "Pakistan has every right to respond forcefully to this act of war imposed by India, and a forceful response is being given."
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi monitored the strikes throughout the night. Following the operation, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval spoke with US. NSA and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, offering a detailed briefing on India’s actions and reiterating New Delhi’s commitment to countering cross-border terrorism.
US President Donald Trump also responded to the attacks, “It’s a shame. We just heard about it as we were walking in the doors of the Oval. I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past. They’ve been fighting for a long time. I hope it ends very quickly,” the US president said.
