India strikes 9 terror camps in PoK, Pakistan

New Delhi, May 7: India carried out 25-minute-long precision strikes on nine terror camps located in Pakistan and PoK early Wednesday morning.

The strikes, codenamed Operation Sindoor, were a direct response to the killing of 26 civilian tourists, including a Nepalese national, in the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.

Under Operation Sindoor, the Indian military targeted Markaz Taiba of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Muridke, Markaz Subhan Allah of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in Bahawalpur and Hizbul Mujahideen's Mehmoona Joya Facility in Sialkot and LeT's base in Markaz Ahle Hadith in Barnala and its camp in Muzaffarabad's Shawai Nalla, military officials said.

At a detailed media briefing, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, flanked by senior military officials, said the operation was ìmeasured, non-escalatory, proportionate, and responsible.î

He emphasised that the aim was to dismantle terrorist infrastructure, deter future attacks, and deliver justice to the victimsí families.

The attack in Pahalgam was marked by extreme barbarity, Misri said, opening the briefing. Victims were mostly killed with headshots 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.î

Calling the April 22 killings the deadliest attack on Indian civilians since 26/11, Misri said that the assault sought to derail the return of normalcy and economic revival in Jammu and Kashmir, especially its flourishing tourism sector.

It was designed to impact the mainstay of the economy, tourism, with a record 23 million tourists visiting the valley last year,î Misri said.

ìThe calculation, presumably, was that harming growth and development would help keep it backwards and create fertile ground for continued cross-border terrorism from Pakistan.î

THE TRF-LASHKAR NEXUS

A group calling itself The Resistance Front (TRF) claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam massacre. Indian officials described the TRF as a mere front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, a group designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations.

India had given inputs about the TRF to the UNís 1267 Sanctions Committee in May and November 2024, Misri said. ìWe flagged its role as a cover for Pakistan-based terrorist groups.î

He said that Pakistanís pressure to have TRF omitted from the April 25 UN Security Council press statement was ìnotable and revealing.î

India's intelligence agencies, he said, had mapped out the communication nodes linking the attackers to handlers in Pakistan.

Our monitoring revealed reposting of TRFís claims on Lashkarís known social media handles. The evidence speaks for itself, he said.

Despite the international condemnation and the UN Security Councils call to bring perpetrators to justice, Pakistan has not taken ìany demonstrable step, Misri said.

Instead, he accused Islamabad of issuing ìdenials and false counter-allegations.

There was thus a compulsion both to deter and to pre-empt,î Misri said. ìIndia exercised its right to respond, to prevent further attacks, and to ensure that perpetrators do not escape accountability.

INSIDE OPERATION SINDOOR

Colonel Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, who jointly led the presentation of Operation Sindoor, described the action as ìsurgical, intelligence-led, and restraint-focused.î

ìThis operation was launched to deliver justice to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and their families,î said Col Qureshi. ìFrom 1:05 am to 1:30 am on the night of May 6-7, Indian Armed Forces targeted and neutralised nine terror camps.î

According to Qureshi, the selected targets formed the spine of Pakistanís terror infrastructure, spanning decades of investment in jihadist operations.

ìWe focused on camps used for recruitment, indoctrination, tactical training, and as launch pads. These were spread across PoJK and deep inside Pakistani territory,î Col Qureshi said.

THE TARGETS: A DETAILED BREAKDOWN

Wing Commander Vyomika Singh provided technical details, supported by satellite imagery and precision strike data. ìThe locations were so selected to avoid civilian casualties and minimise collateral damage,î she said. ìNiche technology and precision warheads were used to strike specific buildings. No civilian infrastructure or military facilities were targeted.î

KEY TARGETS

Sawai Nala Camp, Muzaffarabad (PoJK) ñ A Lashkar training site 30 km from the LoC.

ìTerrorists involved in the Sonamarg (Oct 2024), Gulmarg (Oct 2024), and Pahalgam (April 2025) attacks were trained here,î she said.

Sayyedana Bilal Camp, Muzaffarabad (PoJK) ñ A Jaish-e-Mohammad staging area for jungle warfare and explosives training.

Gulpur Camp, Kotli (PoJK) ñ Linked to LeT operations in Rajouri and Poonch.

ìTerrorists involved in the April 2023 Poonch ambush and June 2024 attack on pilgrims were trained here,î Qureshi said.

Barnala Camp, Bhimber (PoJK) ñ Focused on IEDs, survival tactics, and weapon handling.

Abbas Camp, Kotli (PoJK) ñ A Lashkar fidayeen (suicide squad) base with a capacity to train 15 operatives.

The remaining targets were located deep inside Pakistani territory, a significant escalation in Indiaís retaliatory doctrine.

Sarjal Camp, Sialkot ñ Just 6 km from the international border - linked to the March 2025 killings of J&K police officers.

Mahmuna Jaya Camp, Sialkot ñ A large Hizbul Mujahideen base.

ìIt was the control centre for the Pathankot airbase attack,î said Qureshi.

Markaz Tayyiba, Muridke ñ Lashkarís headquarters, notorious for training the 26/11 attackers.

ìAjmal Kasab and David Headley received training here,î she said.

Markaz Subhanallah, Bahawalpur ñ Jaish-e-Mohammad's primary headquarters, used for indoctrination and hosting top militant leaders.

ìI want to reiterate,î Qureshi said, ìthat no military targets were struck. As of now, there are no reports of civilian casualties.î

STRATEGIC SIGNALLING, CALIBRATED ESCALATION

Wing Commander emphasised the restraint India exercised, despite the scope of the operation. ìAll targets were neutralised with clinical efficiency,î she said. ìThis reflects the professionalism of the Indian Armed Forces. We do not seek escalation, but we are fully prepared to respond if provoked.î Wing Commander described the strikes as a strategic deterrent, not a provocation. ìWe hope this serves as a warning to those who sponsor terror, not as an invitation to escalate conflict.î

Foreign Secretary Misri closed the briefing by reminding the media that the situation is still developing. ìWe will not take questions at this stage,î he said. ìBut we will continue to update you as we proceed. Thank you all very much for joining us this morning.î

Indiaís diplomatic missions are expected to brief partner nations on the strikes over the coming days. New Delhiís position remains clear: while it prefers peace, it will not hesitate to pre-empt terror and hold its sponsors to account.