India launched a series of coordinated military strikes under &lsquo;Operation Sindoor&rsquo; in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22, which claimed the lives of 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen. Conducted between May 7 and May 10, the operation targeted nine identified terror hubs located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), resulting in the deaths of more than 100 terrorists and between 35 to 40 Pakistani soldiers.
During a press briefing held at the National Media Centre in New Delhi on Sunday, Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai provided a comprehensive account of the mission.&nbsp;
&ldquo;You are all by now familiar with the brutality and the dastardly manner in which 26 innocent lives were prematurely terminated at Pahalgam on April 22. When you combine those horrific scenes and the pain of the families that the nation witnessed with numerous other recent terrorist strikes on our armed forces and defenceless civilians, we knew that the time had arrived to make yet another compelling statement of our resolve as a nation,&rdquo; he said.
Lt Gen Ghai stated that Operation Sindoor had been designed with a precise military objective. &ldquo;Operation Sindoor was conceptualized with a clear military aim to punish the perpetrators and planners of terror and to destroy their terror infrastructure. What I do not state here is the often stated determination of India and its intolerance to terror,&rdquo; he noted.
According to the DGMO, the mission began with a thorough and detailed mapping of terrorist infrastructure across the border. &ldquo;It set into motion a very diligent and microscopic scarring of the terror landscape across the borders and the identification of terror camps and training sites. The locations that emerged were numerous, but as we deliberated more, we realised that some of these terror hubs were now bereft of presence and had preemptively been vacated, fearing retribution from us,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;
He added that the forces were operating under strict self-imposed constraints to avoid collateral damage, stating, &ldquo;There was also a term of reference and our own binding self imposed restriction to target only terrorists and thus prevent collateral damage.&rdquo;
The operation targeted nine confirmed terrorist sites, identified by multiple intelligence agencies. These included locations within PoJK as well as areas in Pakistan&rsquo;s Punjab Province.&nbsp;
Among the targets was Muridke, known as the base of Lashkar-e-Taiba. &ldquo;Nefarious places such as Muridke, the hub center of the Lashkar-e-Taiba has over the years bred infamous characters such as Ajmal Kasab and the likes of David Headley,&rdquo; Lt Gen Ghai said.
Indian strikes eliminated more than 100 terrorists, including several high-profile operatives. &ldquo;Those strikes across those nine terror hubs left more than 100 terrorists killed, including high value targets such as Yusuf Azhar, Abdul Malik Rauf and Mudasir Ahmed that were involved in the hijack of IC814 and the Pulwama blast,&rdquo; he added.
India&rsquo;s response prompted a retaliatory reaction from Pakistan. &ldquo;The Line of Control was also violated soon after by Pakistan and the erratic and rattled response of our enemy was apparent from the number of civilians, inhabited villages and religious sites such as Gurudwaras that were unfortunately hit by them, leading to a sad loss of lives,&rdquo; said Lt Gen Ghai.
The Indian Air Force played a pivotal role in the strikes, deploying aerial assets to engage specific camps. &ldquo;The Indian Air Force had their assets up in the sky,&rdquo; Ghai confirmed.&nbsp;
Additionally, the Indian Navy supported the operation by supplying precision-guided munitions. Vice Admiral AN Pramod stated that following the Pahalgam attack, &ldquo;the Navy's Carrier Battle Group (CBG), surface forces, submarines, and aviation assets were immediately deployed at sea with full combat readiness in consort with the joint operation plan of the Indian Defence Forces.&rdquo;
Between May 7 and May 10, the Indian Armed Forces also inflicted heavy casualties on Pakistani military personnel. &ldquo;35 to 40 Pakistani soldiers were killed in precision retaliatory strikes by Indian forces along the Line of Control (LoC),&rdquo; Lt Gen Ghai said. These casualties occurred during carefully calibrated responses involving artillery and small arms fire.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Despite repeated air assaults on our forward positions and supply dumps, all enemy attempts were successfully thwarted. Our response was swift and decisive,&rdquo; he added.
The strikes were described by the Ministry of Defence as deliberate and controlled. &ldquo;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,&rdquo; the Ministry said in a formal statement.
At the briefing, the Indian Armed Forces released images of the destroyed terror infrastructure. The session was jointly addressed by Director General Military Operations Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, Director General Air Operations Air Marshal AK Bharti, Director General Naval Operations Vice Admiral AN Pramod, and Director General Directorate General of Public Information Major General SS Sharda.
On Saturday, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that Pakistan&rsquo;s Director General of Military Operations had reached out to his Indian counterpart. Following this, both sides agreed to cease all military activity across land, sea, and air.
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In a swift retaliation to the Pahalgam attack, India’s Operation Sindoor eliminated over 100 terrorists and 40 Pak soldiers

India Kills 100+ Terrorists in Precision Strikes

In a swift retaliation to the Pahalgam attack, India’s Operation Sindoor eliminated over 100 terrorists and 40 Pak soldiers

May 11, 2025 | 19:47 IST