Operation Sindoor was akin to playing chess: Army chief General Dwivedi

General Upendra Dwivedi said Operation Sindoor involved unpredictable, grey zone tactics as India struck terror hubs in Pakistan after the April 22 Pahalgam attack

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi has compared Operation Sindoor to the game of chess, emphasising the unpredictability attached with India's military response to strike terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

 

During his address at IIT-Madras on Saturday, General Dwivedi spoke how the three forces coordinated for Operation Sindoor, which was launched in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

 

"In Operation Sindoor what we did, we played chess. So, what does it mean? It means, we did not know what is the next move, the enemy is going to take, and what we are going to do. This is something, we call.. the grey zone. Grey zone is that we are not going for the conventional operations. But, we are doing something, just short of a conventional operation," General Dwivedi was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. 

 

According to General Dwivedi, the forces adopted a grey zone tactic during Operation Sindoor. "In conventional operation, you are supposed to go with everything, take everything you have. And, if you are able to come back, otherwise, stay there. That is called the conventional approach. Here, the grey zone means any activity that is taking place in all domains, that is something we are talking about and Operation Sindoor taught us that this is the grey zone," he said.

 

"So, we were making the chess moves, and he (enemy) was also making the chess moves. Somewhere we were giving him the checkmate and somewhere we were going in for the kill at the risk of losing our own, but that's the way, life is all about," the Army chief added.

 

India downed 5 Pakistani jets during Op Sindoor

 

On Saturday, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said that India destroyed at least five Pakistani fighter jets and at least one large aircraft during Operation Sindoor. According to him, it was the largest recorded surface-to-air kill to date.

 

"We have an indication of at least one AWC in that AWC hangar, and a few F-16s, which are under maintenance there. We have at least five fighters confirmed killed and one large aircraft which could be either an aircraft or an AWC, which was taken at a distance of about 300 kilometres. This is actually the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill that we can talk about," the Air Force chief said.

 

Operation Sindoor: India's response to Pak terror

 

On May 7, India launched targeted airstrikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, eliminating over 100 terrorists linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. The strikes, launched under Operation Sindoor, were in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians were killed by Pakistan-based terrorists.

 

Pakistan responded to India's aistrikes with cross-border shelling and drone attacks. India further upped its offensive by damaging radar facilities, communication centres, and airfields across eleven Pakistani airbases, including the Nur Khan air base.

 

The conflict lasted four days, with Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations calling his Indian counterpart to offer a ceasefire.