In a historic military move, India on Wednesday launched its deepest strikes inside undisputed Pakistani territory since the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war, targeting terrorist infrastructure in a highly coordinated operation dubbed Operation Sindoor, according to a CNN report.
The cross-border strikes represent New Delhi’s most significant military action in Pakistan in over five decades. Citing Pakistani officials, CNN reported that five locations were hit — three in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and two in Pakistan’s Punjab province, including Ahmadpur East and Muridke.
However, Indian government sources told ANI that the Indian Armed Forces struck a total of nine terror targets: four in Pakistan proper, including Bahawalpur, Muridke, and Sialkot, and five in PoJK. The strikes were carried out using precision munitions, including loitering or “kamikaze” drones, in a joint operation involving the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was closely monitoring the operation overnight, according to sources. The mission aimed to eliminate high-value leadership of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), two Pakistan-based terrorist groups known for sponsoring cross-border attacks in India.
This is the first time since India’s 2019 Balakot airstrikes — carried out in response to the Pulwama suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian security personnel — that India has hit targets inside Pakistan’s undisputed territory. But the scope and depth of the current operation go beyond those strikes.
In an official statement, the Indian Ministry of Defence confirmed the launch of Operation Sindoor in the early hours of Wednesday. “Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted,” the statement noted, emphasizing India’s restraint.
The strikes were launched in direct response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen. Intelligence-driven targeting ensured that all operations were conducted from Indian soil, using high-precision strike systems.
The Indian government reiterated its commitment to hold those responsible for terrorism accountable, while continuing to avoid broader military escalation.
