In a swift and massive retaliatory action after the brutal slaughter of 26 tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, Indian military forces conducted one of the biggest military operations in recent history. The operation, code-named Operation Sindoor, was launched in the early hours of the morning, taking Pakistan by surprise as India conducted precision missile attacks on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The strikes were undertaken to hit facilities used for terror attack planning and execution against India, as per government sources. Over 90 terrorists have been estimated to be killed. The Defence Ministry has said the strikes were ‘non-escalatory in nature’, ‘focused’ and ‘measured’. None of the Pakistani military facilities was targeted.
Here is a rundown of events which culminated into the strike at nine terror installations in Pakistan:
The initial hint of the strikes was given by the Indian Army in a short but strong five-word X post: “Justice is served. Jai Hind!” A video was also shared, depicting military training, captioned, “Ready to strike, trained to win.”
Justice is Served.
Jai Hind! pic.twitter.com/Aruatj6OfA
— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) May 6, 2025
Amongst the nine targeted areas were Bahawalpur, the Jaish-e-Mohammed headquarters and Muridke, Lashkar-e-Taiba base, which India had held responsible for the Pahalgam massacre. Other targets were Gulpur, Bhimber, Chak Amru, Bagh, Kotli, Sialkot, and Muzaffarabad.
Watch:
Airstrikes were carried out through Rafale combat jets armed with SCALP cruise missiles and Hammer bombs, which allowed for deep precision attacks within Pakistani borders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had been attending back-to-back meetings after the Pahalgam attack, was closely observing the operation. He had previously promised to ‘identify, track, and punish’ the perpetrators along with their supporters.
The Indian Embassy in Washington shortly after the strikes released a comprehensive statement with ‘credible leads’ indicating connections of Pakistan-based terrorists to the Pahalgam attack. The diplomatic statement was intended for acquiring international help and controlling world perception. Numerous significant countries like the US, UK, Russia, and Saudi Arabia were addressed after the strikes.
Meanwhile, Pakistan responded strongly, terming the action as an ‘act of war.’ Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that civilians: women and children among them were victims, and eight were killed and 33 injured, he alleged. The Pakistani military retaliated with shelling from artillery along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch-Rajouri sector, and three civilians were killed. This is the 13th day of the ceasefire violations by Pakistan in a row.
With the escalation of the military tensions, flight operations at a number of prominent northern airports like Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Dharamshala, and Amritsar have been halted. Flights operated by civilians out of Srinagar were also stopped. Moreover, schools and colleges in some regions of Kashmir have also been closed as a precautionary step.
The events, on the remarks of which US President Donald Trump stated, “It’s a shame. I knew something was going to happen.”
