IAF Chief Warns of Deadly Sindoor 2.0

New Delhi: Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh on Friday issued a stern warning to Pakistan, saying a follow-up to Operation Sindoor - dubbed "Sindoor 2.0" - would be far more devastating. He asserted that India has the capacity and capability to strike terror hideouts anywhere inside the neighbouring country.

Dismissing Pakistani claims of Indian aircraft losses during Operation Sindoor as "manohar kahaniyan" (fantasy tales), Air Chief Marshal Singh said a single day of intense operations brought Islamabad to its knees. He added that Pakistan lost around a dozen aircraft, including nine to 10 fighter jets, during the four-day conflict.

Responding to intelligence reports that Pakistan was shifting terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa near the Afghan border after Operation Sindoor, the IAF chief asserted that the air force can strike deep inside any hideout with precise targeting.

Singh said that during Operation Sindoor the Indian military was able to penetrate deep into Pakistani territory and deny the enemy freedom of action even within its own borders. He added that India achieved a long-range aerial strike of about 300 km and severely curtailed Pakistan Air Force activity. On the ground, he said, India struck targets up to 200 km inside Pakistani territory with precision.

Speaking at the annual press conference ahead of Air Force Day on October 8, the IAF chief said the operation demonstrated the service's ability to deliver catastrophic firepower, a capability he said had not been seen since 1971. "We struck a large number of their airfields and installations," he said, listing damage to radars at at least four locations, command-and-control centres at two sites, damaged runways at two locations, and hangars at three different stations.

He said evidence shows damage to one C-130 class aircraft, one AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning & Control) aircraft, and at least four to five fighter aircraft, likely including F-16s. The IAF has "clear evidence" of a long-range strike of more than 300 km that hit an AEW&C or a signals-intelligence aircraft, along with five high-tech fighters in the air, he added.

Responding to Pakistani claims of Indian aircraft losses, the Air Chief declined to give a detailed rebuttal. "If they think they shot down 15 of my jets, let them think so," he said. "I am not going to narrate what happened. We showed many pictures of their damaged sites; they could not show a single picture of damage to ours. Their narrative is 'manohar kahaniyan' - fantasy tales."

On reports that terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed are relocating to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after being exposed, the IAF chief said such moves were expected. He warned that if actionable intelligence is available, the IAF has the capability to strike deep inside hideouts with precise targeting and destroy them. "Our options remain the same," he said.