Operation Sindoor lasted 25 mins; over 80 JeM, LeT, Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists killed

The swift and coordinated attack on terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir lasted 25 minutes. Codenamed Operation Sindoor, it was India’s most expansive cross-border strike since Balakot. The Indian Air Force targeted nine facilities across the border. 

The strikes involved air, naval, and ground-based assets, launched in the cover of the night in a response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians. 

Over 80 terrorists linked to banned outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Hizbul Mujahideen were killed in the airstrikes, as per sources. 

Islamabad said 26 civilians were killed and 46 others were injured in what they called “an act of war”. However, India in its statements said that the operation targeted only terrorist hideouts and no military installations were targeted. "Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature... India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and method of execution,” the government said. 

The two biggest strikes were conducted in JeM stronghold Bahawalpur and Muridke, killing an estimated 25-30 terrorists at each site. The Masjid wa Markaz Taiba, widely regarded as the ideological and operational heart of Lashkar-e-Taiba, was the target in Muridke. 

Other JeM-linked locations targeted included Sarjal at Tehra Kalan, Markaz Abbas in Kotli, and Syedna Bilal camp in Muzaffarabad. Markaz Ahle Hadith in Barnala and Shwawai Nalla camp in Muzaffarabad, both of which are tied to the LeT, were also struck. Hizbul Mujahideen training centres Makaz Raheel Shahid in Kotli and Mehmoona Joya in Sialkot were among the other targets.

The military action, the government said, was based on credible intel that helped them in selecting the sites. While intelligence agencies are still verifying the number of casualties, the initial assessments suggest that 80-90 terrorists were killed.

Launch pads, training camps, and radicalisation centres operated by JeM and LeT were hit in the operation.