9 Pakistani installations were struck within 25 minutes at night: India
India's foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra officially said today, Wednesday that through "Operation Sindoor," India exercised its right to retaliate.
In a briefing, he said the purpose of the operation was to prevent potential attacks from across the border and to destroy terrorist infrastructure following the recent killings in Pahalgam.
The foreign secretary emphasised that India's retaliation was measured, proportionate, responsible, and non-escalatory. The objective was to dismantle terrorist infrastructures that facilitate infiltration into India.
Kwatra referenced a United Nations Security Council statement from 25 April, which condemned the Pahalgam attack, and said India's response should be viewed in that context.
The briefing held at 10:30am Indian Standard Time was also attended by two female officers—Colonel Sophia Qureshi of the Indian Army and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Air Force.
The two officers claimed that between 1:05am and 1:30am on Tuesday night, Indian forces struck and destroyed a total of nine terrorist camps located across the Line of Control and the international border.
Images of the destroyed camps in Pakistan were shown during the briefing. They stated that Operation Sindoor did not target any Pakistani military installations or civilians. The strikes were carefully aimed at selected terrorist targets and carried out using precision technology.
Colonel Sophia and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh claimed the first target was the Markaz Shubhan Allah in Bahawalpur, which housed a training camp for Jaish-e-Mohammed militants. Another target was a Lashkar-e-Taiba training center at Bilal Mosque. The site targeted in Kotli was a Lashkar base. They are highly active in the Poonch region. These bases are located in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
They also confirmed that Indian forces struck deeper inside Pakistan. One such target was the Sargal camp in Sialkot, located six kilometers inside the international border. Another strike was carried out on the Mehmuna Joya camp, identified as a Hizbul Mujahideen base. This camp allegedly trained the militants who carried out the Pahalgam attack.
The officers further claimed that Indian forces attacked Markaz Tayyiba in Muridke, near Lahore—a known training centre for the 26/11 Mumbai attackers. Ajmal Kasab, one of the perpetrators, was trained there.
In his statement, foreign secretary Kwatra said the goal of the Pahalgam attack was to destabilise the improving situation in Kashmir—to deter tourism, damage the economy, and halt development projects.
Additionally, he said the attack aimed to disrupt communal harmony not only in Jammu and Kashmir but across India.
Kwatra added that the group The Resistance Front (TRF) claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack. This group is a front for the UN-designated terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba. India has submitted extensive information about them in reports to the United Nations.