Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, May 7: In a pre-dawn precision strike named ‘Operation Sindoor’, India targeted and bombed nine key terror hideouts across Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan, senior defence officials revealed in a media briefing on Wednesday.
Colonel Sophia and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, addressing a joint press conference alongside Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, disclosed that the strikes were launched between 1.05 a.m. and 1.30 a.m. based on concrete intelligence. The aim was to dismantle terror infrastructure, destroy launching pads, and eliminate indoctrination centres that have long served as breeding grounds for cross-border militancy.
The officers presented an exhaustive account of the operation, documenting specific targets and outlining the extent of damage inflicted on the terror network.
Targets Neutralised in PoK
Multiple terror facilities in PoK were hit during the strikes. Key among them was the Sawai Nala training centre, about 30 km from the Line of Control (LoC), which was being used by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Militants involved in the 2024 Gulmarg and April 22 Pahalgam attacks were trained here.
Another major target, the Syedna Bilal camp in Muzaffarabad, associated with Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), was reported to be completely destroyed.
In Kotli Gulpur, a known LeT stronghold, operatives trained for attacks in Rajouri and Poonch, including the ambush on Amarnath pilgrims last year.
Barnala in Bimber, a site 9 km from the LoC, functioned as a storage hub for explosives and arms. This facility was also hit.
At Kotli Abbas, located 13 km from the LoC, LeT fidayeen squads received training. This base too was struck in the operation.
Terror infrastructure in Pakistan targeted
Strikes were also carried out across the international border in Pakistan. In *Sarjal, Sialkot*, a training base 6 km from the border, militants responsible for the killing of five Jammu and Kashmir police personnel in March this year were trained.
In Bahawalpur, the JeM headquarters, used for recruitment and radicalisation, was targeted.
Another facility, Mehmoona Joya in Sialkot, located 8 km from the border, functioned as a Hizbul Mujahideen training centre. It was linked to past terror strikes, including the one in Pathankot.
Lastly, Markaj Taiba in Muridke, situated between 18 to 25 km from the international border, was also hit. This centre had infamously trained perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, including Ajmal Kasab and David Headley.
According to defence officials, all strikes were carried out with precision and aimed exclusively at terrorist infrastructure, avoiding civilian casualties. The operation, they stressed, was a calibrated military response to recent escalations and intended to send a clear message against the use of terror as state policy.