India’s precision strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) have dealt a significant blow to its adversary, with the four-day-long ‘Operation Sindoor’ crippling critical military sites and command structures.
The Indian military’s rapid and coordinated assault, which began in the early hours of May 7, was launched as a direct response to the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22, which claimed 28 lives, including tourists and a Nepalese national.
The operation commenced with India targeting nine major terror training camps deep within Pakistan and PoK, reportedly eliminating nearly 100 terrorists in just 26 minutes. The precision strikes were executed with Rafale-launched Scalp cruise missiles, Hammer smart weapon systems, M777 howitzers armed with Excalibur munitions, and loitering munitions, also known as kamikaze drones.
Indian forces strategically targeted five camps located between 9 and 30 kilometres across the Line of Control (LoC) in PoK, while the remaining four were struck 6 to 100 kilometres inside Pakistan, according to senior military officials tracking the operation.
The strikes aimed to degrade Pakistan’s terror infrastructure and weaken its military capabilities. “We smashed the terror infrastructure there, hit their air defences, and targeted several of their airbases. The Indian forces had a good run during the last four days. Pakistan’s counter-offensive was mostly thwarted,” said one of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.
On the night of May 8-9, Pakistan launched attacks on 36 locations across India, from Leh and Jammu in the north to Sir Creek in the west, deploying an estimated 300-400 Turkish-origin Asisguard Songar armed drones. Indian air defence systems, including the Russian-origin S-400 Triumf, locally made Akash surface-to-air missiles, Barak 8 systems, and other counter-drone measures, swiftly engaged and destroyed most of these drones.
Pakistan’s retaliatory attempts were largely unsuccessful, with Indian forces thwarting multiple drone strikes and missile attacks aimed at 26 locations along the LoC and International Border (IB) on May 9. Indian forces, using advanced radar systems and command networks, neutralised the aerial threats, effectively safeguarding military and civilian assets.
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The most significant blows to Pakistan came in the early hours of May 10, when the Indian Air Force struck eight critical military sites within Pakistan, including airbases, radar units, and ammunition dumps, in response to aggressive moves against Indian military installations.
Targets included bases in Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Chunian, Pasrur, and Sialkot. These strikes reportedly caused severe damage to command and control centres, technical infrastructure, and weapons storage facilities.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, in a briefing following the ceasefire announcement, said, “There has been extensive damage to crucial Pakistani airbases like Skardu, Sargodha, Jacobabad, and Bholari.
Also, loss of air defence weapons and radars made the defence of Pakistani airspace untenable. Across the LoC, extensive and precise damage to military infrastructure, command and control centres, and logistics installations led to a complete breakdown of its defensive and offensive capabilities.”
India’s swift and precise operations have reportedly pushed Pakistan’s military infrastructure to the brink, significantly impacting its ability to defend its airspace and conduct offensive operations.
While India has not officially released casualty figures, sources indicate that the strikes killed around 100 terrorists within the first 26 minutes of the operation.
The US-brokered ceasefire, announced on Saturday, has for now halted hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, preventing a wider conflict.
However, reports of continued skirmishes along the LoC suggest that the situation remains volatile.
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