Operation Sindoor Kills Nearly 100 JeM, LeT Terrorists in 25 Mins

New Delhi: In a powerful response to the Pahalgam terror attack that shook the nation, India early on Wednesday morning unleashed “Operation Sindoor”, a decisive and high-intensity military strike that razed the core infrastructure of terror outfits Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Frontline fighter jets, alongside precision drones, pounded nine high-value targets deep within PoK and Pakistan. The initial intelligence assessments suggest that between 70 to 100 terrorists were killed in this joint operation by the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force.

India said that the strikes were “precise, non-escalatory and measured”, and that no civilian or military installations were targeted. Of the nine-high value targets, seven were hit by the Army’s drones and “smart ammunition and precision weapons”, the other two were razed to the ground by the IAF’s Rafale and Sukhoi fighter jets. The Indian fighter jets used long-range missiles to accomplish their task without crossing the border.

The operation, which lasted for 25 minutes from 1.05 am to 1.30 am, was witnessed live in the operations room by the Chief of Defence Staff and all three service chiefs, as well as the foreign secretary and top security officials. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also monitoring the situation. Mr Modi called off his three-nation tour of Europe, where he was due to visit Croatia, Norway and the Netherlands from May 13 to 17, in view of the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.

The Prime Minister also chaired a meeting of the Union Cabinet, which was briefed by defence minister Rajnath Singh on Operation Sindoor. The entire Cabinet hailed the action and the Prime Minister's leadership with the thumping of desks. Mr Modi is learnt to have said that his government will have “zero tolerance” on terror. “Total surprise was achieved. Pakistan was caught totally unawares,” a top security official said. The defence minister, Mr Rajnath Singh, said that India had used its “right to respond” to the Pahalgam terror attack and that the targets were destroyed as per the plan. “We have followed the ideals of Lord Hanuman. Just as he said during the destruction of Ashok Vatika – ‘jin mohi maara, tin mohi maare’ (I only struck those who attacked me) -- we too have targeted only those who killed our innocent people,” Mr Singh said.

Five terrorist locations in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and four in Pakistan’s Punjab were targeted in precision strikes, including places associated with the 26/11 Mumbai attack, and the Gulmarg (2024), Poonch (2023), pilgrims (June 2024), Pathankot Air Force base and Pahalgam terror attacks. This was for the first time since the 1971 war that India has hit a target in Pakistan’s Punjab, in a powerful message that no terrorist site is safe.

The terror locations hit in Pakistan’s Punjab included the Jaish headquarters in Bahawalpur, 100 km from the international border. The Lashkar-e-Tayyaba headquarters at Muridke in Punjab, where 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab and David Coleman Headley were trained, was hit four times by India. The Sawai Nala camp in Muzaffarabad, in PoK, a key LeT training facility, which was associated with terrorists involved in Pahalgam, was also targeted.

Pakistan restored to unprovoked shelling along the Line of Control and international border, killing 14 civilians, including four children. The civilians in the border areas are being evacuated to safer locations. As tension escalated, around 27 dual-use (civilian and military) airports in northern, western and central India were closed, which also impacted domestic as well as international flights.

Soon after the strikes, national security adviser Ajit Doval briefed his counterparts in the United States, Britain, Russia, Japan and Saudi Arabia on “Operation Sindoor”. He spoke to US secretary of state Marco Rubio, currently the acting NSA there, as well as Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and French President Emmanuel Macron’s diplomatic adviser. Mr Doval told his interlocuters that India has no intention of escalating tensions, but “is prepared to retaliate resolutely if Pakistan does so”

Foreign secretary Vikram Misri said India decided to carry out the “proportionate” strikes to bring the perpetrators and planners of the April 22 Pahalgam attack to justice as there was “no demonstrable step” from Pakistan to act against terrorist infrastructure on the territories under its control. “The Indian armed forces are fully prepared to respond to Pakistani misadventure, if any, to escalate the situation,” said IAF Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, who also addressed the press briefing along with the Indian Army’s Col. Sophia Qureshi.

In Washington, US President Donald Trump said he hoped that the hostilities between India and Pakistan would end “very quickly”. “It’s a shame”, he said, adding: “We just heard about it just as we were walking in the doors of the Oval (Office).” Mr Trump said: “I just hope it ends very quickly.”

External affairs minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday spoke to ministers from Japan, Germany, France and Spain and briefed them about India’s strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. Several world leaders, including US President Donald Trump and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, called on both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint.

Union home minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday that the strikes carried out by the Indian armed forces against targets in Pakistan and PoK were a befitting reply from India to those who dare to challenge our borders, military and citizens. At a meeting of chief ministers, DGPs and chief secretaries of the states which have borders with Pakistan and Nepal, Mr Shah said Operation Sindoor was launched against terrorist camps after specific inputs and that it was a testament to the Narendra Modi government’s “zero tolerance” policy against terrorism to the entire world.