The Indian Armed Forces on May 7 shared details about Operation Sindoor, a targeted strike mission to destroy terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Addressing a press briefing in the national capital hours after the targeted strikes, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh outlined the objectives of the operation and provided details on destroyed terrorist camps. Four of the nine targeted terrorist camps are in Pakistan, and the remaining are in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The operation, executed by the Indian Armed Forces, dismantled terror infrastructure linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Colonel Qureshi detailed the targeted camps, stating that the four terrorist camps destroyed in Pakistan are Bahawalpur, Muridke, Sarjal, and Mehmoona Joya.
“First is Sarjal camp, Sialkot, which lies 6 km inside Pakistan… It’s the camp where those terrorists involved in the March 2025 killing of four J&K police personnel received their training,” she said. She also highlighted the Mehmoona Joya camp in Sialkot, located 12-18 km inside Pakistan.
“Second is Mehmoona Joya camp, Sialkot, which lies 12-18 km inside Pakistan… It’s one of the biggest camps of Hizbul Mujahideen. It is one of the control centres for spreading terrorism in the Kathua, Jammu region,” she said.
“The camp planned and directed the attack on the Pathankot Air Force base camp,” Qureshi added.
Pointing to Markaz Taiba in Muridke, 18-25 km inside Pakistan, she said “those involved in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks trained here, including Ajmal Kasab and David Headley”.
She also confirmed the destruction of Markaz Subhanallah in Bahawalpur, located 100 km inside Pakistan, stating, “It was the headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammed, targeted by Indian Armed Forces.”
Emphasising the operation’s precision, Qureshi clarified, “No military installation was targeted, and till now there are no reports of civilian casualties in Pakistan.”
The strikes, conducted between 1:05 am and 1:30 am early on May 7, were a coordinated effort by the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, targeting nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoK) based on credible intelligence. Operation Sindoor was launched to avenge the Pahalgam attack, attributed to Pakistan-based terrorist groups, including LeT’s offshoot, The Resistance Front.
The operation also targeted five camps in PoJK linked to earlier attacks, such as those in Sonamarg (October 20, 2024), Gulmarg (October 24, 2024) and the April 20, 2023, and June 9, 2024, pilgrimage bus attacks.
Colonel Qureshi earlier also detailed the specific terror camps targeted in PoJK.
“Shawai Nallah Camp in Muzaffarabad is a Lashkar-e-Taiba camp. Terrorists responsible for attacks in Sonamarg on October 20, 2024, Gulmarg on October 24, 2024, and Pahalgam on April 22, 2025, were trained here,” she said.
She said Syedna Bilal camp in Muzaffarabad is a Jaish-e-Mohammed staging area serving as a “weapon, explosive, and jungle training centre”.
Qureshi also stated that the intelligence has identified Gulpur Camp in Kotli, 30 km from the Line of Control (LoC), as a LeT facility linked to the April 20, 2023, Poonch and June 9, 2024, pilgrimage bus attacks.
Barnala Camp in Bhimber is a centre for weapons, IEDs, and jungle survival training, while Kotli camp, 13 km from the LoC, trained LeT’s fedayeen with a capacity for 15 terrorists.
Twenty-six people were killed in the Pahalgam terror attack. The government had said that the perpetrators would face severe punishment.
(With inputs from ANI)
