At least 100 terrorists killed in Operation Sindoor, Rajnath Singh tells all-party meet: Sources

Operation Sindoor: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told the all-party meeting on 8 May that at least 100 terrorists were killed in Indian strikes under Operation Sindoor on Wednesday morning, news agency PTI said quoting sources.

Indian armed forces carried out precision strikes at terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the government said early Wednesday morning. In all, 9 areas have been targeted, the government said in the statement, codenaming the strike ‘Operation Sindoor.’

The all party meeting was held today under the chairmanship of Rajnath Singh who, the news agency said, also said India will hit back if Pakistan strikes.

“The discussions were conducted in a constructive and serious manner, given the gravity of the issue at hand. The Defence Minister briefed all leaders in detail about Operation Sindoor. Each leader expressed their views with responsibility and maturity, recognising the major challenge the country is currently facing,” Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told the news agency.

The opposition was briefed during the meeting about the targets selected - which included the Lashkar-e-Taiba's headquarters and a training camp in Muridke, and the Jaish-e-Mohammed's headquarters in Bahawalpur, both in Pakistan Punjab province.

Wednesday's operation was thedeepest strikes inside Pakistan's territorysince 1971, according to CNN, successfully targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Pahalgam Attack 

The strike comes two weeks after the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed in Jammu and Kashmir's popular hill station.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that India launched Operation Sindoor on Pakistan early on Wednesday morning, exercising its right to respond to the Pahalgam terror attack and preempt as well as deter more such cross-border attacks.

These actions were measured, non-escalatory, proportionate and responsible. They focused on dismantling the terrorist infrastructure and disabling terrorists likely to be sent across to India, Misri said at a press conference.

The attack in Pahalgam was marked by extreme barbarity, with the victims mostly killed with head shots from close range and in front of their families. Family members were deliberately traumatised through the manner of the killing, accompanied by the exhortation that they should take back the message, Mirsi said.

He said the attack was clearly driven by the objective of undermining normalcy returning to Jammu and Kashmir and designed, in particular, to impact the mainstay of the economy, tourism, with a record 23 million tourists visiting the Kashmir Valley in 2024.

(With agency inputs)