Abdul Rauf Azhar, a globally designated terrorist and mastermind behind the 1999 IC-814 hijacking, was reportedly killed during Indian Armed Forces’ precision strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under Operation Sindoor. The mission, carried out on Wednesday, targeted multiple sites linked to terror outfits, delivering a significant blow to cross-border terrorism networks.
Azhar, the supreme commander of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group—founded by his brother Masood Azhar—was one of India’s most wanted men for orchestrating several attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. The missile strikes specifically hit JeM’s strongholds in Pakistan’s Bahawalpur, where several key figures were present at the time of the attack.
Reports suggest that at least ten members of Masood Azhar’s family were killed in the strikes on JeM’s headquarters. While Masood Azhar himself was critically injured, Abdul Rauf Azhar is believed to have succumbed to his injuries shortly after the attack. This operation marks one of India’s most successful high-value counter-terror missions in recent years.
