India strikes

A mosque in Pakistan partially damaged in strike. PIC/AFP

Retaliating against the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian armed forces on early Wednesday carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base in Muridke.

The military strikes were conducted under Operation Sindoor two weeks after the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. More than 70 terrorists were killed and over 60 wounded in the strikes, sources said. Out of the nine targets chosen by India, four were in Pakistan and the remaining five were in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.

"The Indian armed forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor' hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK," the defence ministry said in a statement. The strikes were carried out at 1.44 am. The Indian statement said, "No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution."

It said the actions by the Indian armed forces have been "focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature" and that no Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. Sources added that the strikes on all nine targets were successful and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was monitoring Operation Sindoor closely.

JeM, LeT, Hizbul headquarters hit

Terror headquarters of banned Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen were targeted under ‘Operation Sindoor' with IAF hitting nine hideouts located in Pakistan and PoK, officials said here on Wednesday Among the targets hit in a precise operation were Markaz Subhan Allah at Bahawalpur, Sarjal at Tehra Kalan, Markaz Abbas in Kotli and Syedna Bilal camp in Muzaffarabad (all of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group).

Markaz Taiba at Murdike, Markaz Ahle Hadith at Barnala and Shwawai Nalla camp at Muzaffarabad (all of banned LeT) and Makaz Raheel Shahid in Kotli and Mehmoona Joya in Sialkot (camps and training centres of banned Hizbul Mujahideen were targeted. An important target was the JeM's communication network concealed in a primary health centre in Tehra Kalan village in Sarjal which was a long-standing concern for security agencies.

JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar acknowledged on Wednesday that 10 members of his family and four close associates were killed in India's missile attack on the outfit's headquarters in Bahawalpur. The sources said that besides logistics, the Pakistani army and ISI used the services of Special Services Group (SSG) to facilitate the training of terrorists in these camps.

Act of war, says Pak

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif termed the Indian missile strikes on terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Punjab province as an "act of war" and said his country has every right to give a "befitting reply." "Pakistan has every right to give a befitting reply to this act of war imposed by India, and a strong response is indeed being given," Sharif said. He said his armed forces "know very well how to deal with the enemy".

Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry in a media interaction said at least 26 people were killed and 46 injured in the missile strikes on cities in Punjab and PoK. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar termed the Indian strikes as a "flagrant violation" of Pakistan's sovereignty, the UN Charter & international law.

12 killed in Pak shelling along LoC

At least 12 people, including four children, were killed and 57 others injured as the Pakistan Army resorted to heavy artillery and mortar shelling on forward villages along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. The worst-hit in the Pakistani shelling was Poonch district which accounted for all the civilian deaths, the officials said, adding 42 people were also injured and the condition of some of them was stated to be serious. The shelling was reported from all along the LoC in Poonch.

Pahalgam victims' kin hail armed forces

Rajesh Narwal
Lt Vinay Narwal's father

Terror attack victim Lt Vinay Narwal's father, Rajesh Narwal hailed India's response and said the Modi government has sent a strong message and now the perpetrators of the attack "will think 100 times" before repeating such attacks in the future.

Syed haider shah
Syed Adil Hussain Shah's father

Syed Haider Shah, father of Syed Adil Hussain Shah, the ponywalla who sacrificed his life while protecting the tourists, said that the military strikes have avenged his son's killing. Shah's family expressed gratitude to PM Modi and the armed forces.

Channaveerappa
Bharath Bhushan's father

Terror attack victim Bharath Bhushan's father Channaveerappa welcomed the strikes, saying the government has done a good job. He also extended family's full support.

Arathy
N Ramachandran's daughter

Arathy, daughter of N Ramachandran who was gunned down by terrorist, welcomed "Operation Sindoor" and expressed hope that it would bring some relief to the families.

Ashanya Dwivedi
Shubham Dwivedi's wife

Terror attack victim Shubham Dwivedi's wife Ashanya thanked the armed forces for taking "revenge". She said that the strikes will keep the terrorists away from carrying out such attacks on innocents in the future.

Gujarat family

A woman from Gujarat's Bhavnagar, who lost her husband and son, hailed the armed forces and urged to continue action against Pakistan till it is wiped out. Another woman from Surat, whose husband was killed, expressed happiness over the action.

Guha and Adhikari family
Kin of Samir Guha and Bitan Adhikary

The families of Samir Guha and Bitan Adhikary, two West Bengal residents, who were killed in the recent terror attack on tourists in Kashmir's Pahalgam, expressed satisfaction, calling it a "step towards justice".

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