Operation Sindoor: In lightning strike, India destroys 21 terror camps in Pak, Pok
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: In its largest-ever stern action against terror activities in the last four decades, India on Wednesday struck hard, destroying at least 21 terror camps across nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, reportedly killing around 100 terrorists.
Pakistan, which was threatening India with nuclear blackmail, meekly acknowledged New Delhi’s action, but claimed only eight people had died—refraining from even admitting that terror camps were specifically targeted, the media reported.
After the attacks, India clarified that no military or civilian places were targeted and that the action it chose exercising its right to defend itself was non-escalating.
The missile strikes, carried out jointly in coordinated action by the three wings of the Indian armed forces, followed the April 22 terror attack at Pahalgam in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, that claimed the lives of 27 Hindu-only tourists, including one from Nepal.
The Operation Sindoor—reminding Pakistan that its terrorists singled out Hindu men and shot them dead point blank before their wives and children—targeted Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Bahawalpur, Rawalakot, Chakswari, Bhimber, Neelum Valley, Jhelum, and Chakwal.
In a joint operation by the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy, a total of 24 missiles strike struck them, making this the most extensive single-day precision operation the South Asian nation has ever executed.
“More than 70 terrorists were killed, and over 60 others were injured during the coordinated assault,” an Indian official was quoted as saying.
Each terror location had long been identified and kept under continuous surveillance. Indian intelligence combined satellite imagery, human sources, and intercepted communications to establish the use of specific training compounds by proscribed groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Their buildings were marked as ideological indoctrination centres, arms depots, logistical hubs, and sleeper cell planning facilities. In many cases, this included UAV surveillance well in advance to confirm movement patterns and logistical activity consistent with terrorist use.
Operation Sindoor involved a tri-services deployment of air, naval, and land-based assets, and utilised air-launched SCALP cruise missiles, HAMMER precision-guided bombs, and loitering munitions, fired from IAF aircraft operating from deep within Indian territory and supported by mid-air refuelling and airborne early-warning systems.
The SCALP (Storm Shadow) missiles, with a range of over 250 km, were employed to strike hardened targets, including reinforced bunkers and command posts.
The HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) bombs were used against multi-storey buildings that housed training modules and operational leadership.
Loitering munitions, also known as kamikaze drones, played a dual role: providing real-time surveillance and striking high-value mobile targets as they emerged.
“In less than half-an-hour, starting 1.05 am on Wednesday, all the missiles had struck their designated targets. These strikes were synchronised to avoid detection and maximise the element of surprise. Real-time footage from UAVs confirmed the destruction of target facilities. The decision to target deep into Pakistani-administered territory was a departure from prior doctrine and marked a new level of strategic assertiveness.”
Unlike the 2016 surgical strikes after the Uri attack, the 2019 post-Balakot airstrikes, or other past Indian operations, which were limited in scale and scope, the latest action was technologically robust and expansive. It was also unlike any mission New Delhi ever carried out, not even after the 26/11/2008 Mumbai attack, or parliament attacks in New Delhi in 2001.
The move to strike deep into PoK, and even 100 km inside Pakistan’s mainland at Bahawalpur in Punjab, demonstrated India’s firm resolve to weed out terror root and branch, a complete departure from the past.
“The sheer scale of terrorists’ loss sent a strong message to their networks, hardliners, and their handlers. India now reserves the right to strike pre-emptively, and no location is beyond reach,” an official said.
