The Indian armed forces early Wednesday carried out missile attacks on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, including Muridke and Bahawalpur, which are the strongholds of terror groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, respectively.
The daring operation, codenamed Operation Sindoor, caught PAK off guard as all three forces launched precision missile attacks under the cover of darkness in retaliation for the Pahalgam carnage that left 26 tourists dead.
According to sources, over 90 terrorists are believed to have been killed. A rattled Pakistan was quick to term the strikes an “act of war”.
In an official statement, the Ministry of Defence confirmed hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir “from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed.”
“Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution.”
India’s strikes come hours before a planned security mock drill across the country for “effective civil defence in the event of a hostile attack”, across 244 districts.
ALSO READ: Ministry of Home Affairs orders nationwide civil defence mock drills on May 7
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to pursue the perpetrators of the attack and those who took part in its conspiracy to the “ends of the earth” to inflict punishment on them “beyond their imagination”.
