The Indian Armed Forces carried out “precision strikes” at nine terrorist sites early on May 7, under ‘Operation Sindoor.’ According to reports the attack was carried out in a joint operation by the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and the Navy.
According to initial reports, the nine locations that are attacked are Bahawalpur, Muridke, Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Gulpur, Bhimber, Chak Amru and Sialkot. While Indian government claims that no civiilians were injured, the Pakistan government says five casualities have been reported.
“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,” the army said in a press release.
While several reports claim that the headquarters of terror groups Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) are hit in the attack, the governments are yet to confirm this.
“Altogether, nine (9) sites have been targeted. Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and the method of execution,” the press release read.
It added that these steps come in the wake of the barbaric Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were murdered.
“We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable.”
Meanwhile, the Pakistani Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, also confirmed the strike on his country.
“The missile strikes were fired by India at Kotli, Bahwalpur and Muzaffarabad in a cowardly attack amid intense tensions between the two countries in the wake of a militant attack in occupied Kashmir,” the Pakistan army confirmed.
The Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has responded saying, “The Pakistani nation and the Pakistani armed forces know how to deal with the enemy. We will never allow the enemy to succeed in their nefarious goals. The cunning enemy has carried out cowardly attacks on five locations in Pakistan. Pakistan has every right to respond forcefully to this act of war imposed by India, and a forceful response is being given.”
He added that the entire nation stands with the Pakistani armed forces, and the morale and spirit of the entire Pakistani nation are high.
The tension between the two nations comes in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack in which 25 tourists and a local resident were killed.
(With IANS inputs)