9 terror camps bombed to smithereens in 26 minutes

NEW DELHI: It took the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force only 26 minutes to bomb to smithereens nine targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan that were carefully selected based on hard intelligence and their nefarious track record of perpetrating terror activities, the forces said on Wednesday.

Two officials -- one from the army and another from the air force -- gave granular details in an official briefing on Operation Sindoor on Wednesday, mounted two weeks after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack killed 26 people.

The mission began at 1.04 am.

India demonstrated considerable restraint in its response to the Pahalgam strike, but the armed forces are fully prepared to respond to any Pakistani misadventure aimed at escalating the situation, said helicopter pilot Wing Commander Vyomika Singh.

The five terror training camps targeted with precision weapons across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir were between nine and 30 km inside PoK, while the four targets on the other side of the international border (IB) 6 to 100 km inside Pakistan.

The cross-border strikes by India weren’t unexpected.

The countdown to the military action began on April 29 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi granted the armed forces a free hand to respond forcefully to the Pahalgam strike, underlining that they had full operational freedom to decide on “the mode, targets, and timing of our response.”

The Pakistan Army on Wednesday responded by opening artillery fire at multiple points across the LoC in J&K. This was the first time it used artillery to target forward areas. The army’s counter -fire was measured but effective, people aware of the developments said.

“Operation Sindoor was launched by Indian armed forces to deliver justice to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, and their families. Nine terrorist camps were targeted and successfully destroyed,” said Colonel Sofiya Qureshi.

The two women officers, Singh and Qureshi, were handpicked by the army and the air force to brief journalists on the operation along with foreign secretary Vikram Misri.

The women officers elaborated on why each of the nine terror targets was significant and how the locations were selected to avoid collateral damage.

The Sawai Nala camp in Muzaffarabad, facing Kashmir’s Tangdhar sector and located 30 km across the LoC in PoK, was a key Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) training facility. The two separate attacks on civilians and security forces in Sonamarg and Gulmarg last October, and the April 22 Pahalgam strike were carried out by the terror module from Sawai Nala.

Syed Na Bilal camp, also in Muzaffarabad in PoK, was used by the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) to train terrorists in weapons, explosives and jungle-cum-survival techniques for carrying out strikes across the LoC in Kashmir.

“Over the last three decades, Pakistan has systematically built terror infrastructure. It is a complex web of recruitment and indoctrination centres, training areas for initial and refresher courses and launch pads with handlers. The target selection was done with due diligence,” said Qureshi, who is from the Corps of Signals.

The Gulpur camp in Kotli, among the five struck in PoK, was 30 km from the LoC and was the base for LeT terrorists operating in the Rajouri-Poonch area. Attacks in Poonch in April 2023, and Reasi in June 2024 were carried out by terrorists trained in Gulpur.

“Inputs confirm that Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the 26/11 mastermind, frequented this camp for indoctrination and motivational speeches,” Qureshi said.

Abbas camp in Kotli, 13 km from the LoC opposite Rajouri, was known as the nerve centre for training LeT’s suicide bombers. This camp had training infrastructure for about 50 terrorists. The fifth camp hit in PoK, Barnala in Bhimber, was nine km across the LoC facing the Rajouri-Poonch sector and was used for providing training to terrorists in weapon handling, making improvised explosive devised and jungle survival techniques.

The Markaz Subhanallah camp in Bahawalpur was the farthest target for the Indian forces. Located around 100 Km from the international border, it was the headquarters of the JeM. “It was used for recruitment, training and indoctrinating terrorists, and the facility was frequently visited by the terrorist commanders including Masood Azhar who issued directions to their cadre from this camp,” she said.

The Sarjal camp, also in Pakistan and six km across the IB opposite the Samba-Kathua region, trained the terrorists who killed four Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel in March 2025.

The Mehmoona Joya camp in Sialkot was a key training facility of the Hizbul Mujahideen. Located 12 Km from the IB, it was used for the revival of terrorism in Kathua and Jammu region during the last two to three years, which were peaceful areas traditionally.

“Major terrorist attacks including the one on Pathankot airbase was planned and directed from this camp,” she said.

Markaz Taiba near Muridke was the headquarters of the LeT led by Hafiz Saeed. Terrorists trained at this camp were associated with many strikes in India, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Ajmal Kasab, the only terrorist then captured alive, received training here and do did David Coleman Headley. It was located 25 km inside Pakistan.

“The strike on the terror camps was undertaken through precision capability, using niche technology weapons with careful selection of warheads that ensured no collateral damage. All the targets were neutralised with clinical efficiency. No military establishments were targeted,” said Singh, a helicopter pilot.