Operation Sindoor: How India carried out its ‘most significant' military action inside Pakistan in 5 decades

Operation Sindoor: India has carried out its deepest strikes inside Pakistan's territory since 1971, according to CNN, successfully targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

This marks New Delhi's most significant military action within Pakistani territory in over five decades, news agency ANI said. More details about India's strikes will be shared by Defence Ministry in the brefing sheduled at 10 am on Wednesday, May 7

The operation was carried out on Wednesday morning jointly by the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, with the mobilisation of assets and troops using special precision munitions in a coordinated operation, sources told ANI.

The strikes at 9 places were carried out to avenge the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and to eliminate Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leaders involved in planning and executing terrorist attacks in India, the news agency said.

Deepest strikes since 1971

Last time, such a big strike by India inside Pakistan was during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 December 1971.

These strikes came after days of escalated tensions and downgraded diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of Pahalgam terror attack.

Of the nine locations, four were located within Pakistan and five in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. News agency PTI shared the list of nine terror facility locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir that have been successfully neutralised:

1. Markaz Subhan Allah, Bahawalpur - JeM

2. Markaz Taiba, Muridke - LeT

3. Sarjal, Tehra Kalan - JeM

4. Mehmoona Joya, Sialkot - HM

5. Markaz Ahle Hadith, Barnala - LeT

6. Markaz Abbas, Kotli - JeM

7. Maskar Raheel Shahid, Kotli - HM

8. Shawai Nalla Camp, Muzaffarabad - LeT

9. Syedna Bilal Camp, Muzaffarabad - JeM.

What Pakistan said?

The Pakistan military's media arm, Inter-Services Public Relations, said India has "struck three places from the air" – Bhawalpur in Pakistan's Punjab Province as well as Kotli and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Muridke is the headquarters of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is believed to be behind the Pahalgam attack, and Bahawalpur is the base of the Masood Azhar-led Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Indian forces carefully selected the targets to go after senior terrorist leadership, according to sources cited by ANI. Officials stressed that the mission was focused, measured, and non-escalatory, and specifically avoided Pakistani military installations. The strikes, executed from within Indian airspace, reflected restraint in both targeting and execution.

The Ministry of Defence, in its statement, said, “A little while ago, the Indian Armed Forces launched 'OPERATION SINDOOR', hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed.”

"Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution," the statement added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was constantly monitoring Operation Sindoor throughout the night, sources confirmed to ANI.

(With agency inputs)