Operation Sindoor: India's Pinpoint Strikes Target Terror Networks

A Decisive Blow to Terror

On May 7, 2025, the Indian Armed Forces implemented "Operation Sindoor," conducting targeted missile attacks on nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The operation was a retaliatory measure for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the death of 26 civilians, mostly Hindu tourists.

Targets Neutralized

The operation was intended to take down the infrastructure of key terrorist outfits:

• Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM):
  • Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur (JeM headquarters)
  • Sarjal at Tehra Kalan
  • Markaz Abbas in Kotli
  • Syedna Bilal camp in Muzaffarabad
• Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT):
  • Markaz Taiba at Murdike
  • Markaz Ahle Hadith at Barnala
  • Shwawai Nalla camp in Muzaffarabad
• Hizbul Mujahideen:
  • Makaz Raheel Shahid in Kotli
  • Mehmoona Joya in Sialkot

These strikes were meticulously planned to prevent civilian casualties and were targeted solely towards destroying terrorist infrastructure.

Personal Losses for Masood Azhar

In a first, JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar acknowledged that the attack on Bahawalpur's Markaz Subhan Allah killed 10 members of his family, including his elder sister and her husband, his nephew and his wife, and a niece, and four close aides.

"This cruelty has crossed all limits. Now, nobody should hope for mercy."
— Masood Azhar

The Symbolism Behind 'Operation Sindoor'

The title of the operation, 'Sindoor,' is a heart-rending allusion to the red vermilion worn by Hindu women as a symbol of marriage. It was inspired by a gut-wrenching photograph that went viral on social media: a Hindu woman sitting stunned next to her husband's corpse following the Pahalgam attack.