India hits Pak terrorist camps linked to 26/11, Pulwama, and Pahalgam

India on Wednesday said it had carried out precision military strikes on nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) during a 25-minute pre-dawn operation, which targeted sites affiliated to the Hafiz Saeed-led Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Maulana Masood Azhar-led Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) — both proscribed terrorist organisations — and linked to the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama attack, and the April 22 Pahalgam attack. 

Dubbed “Operation Sindoor”, the retaliation to the Pahalgam terrorist attack included about 24 precision strikes across the locations that had been identified as hubs of terrorist activity, said a source in the know. 

 

Among the 21 identified terrorist camps and training centres spread across Pakistan and PoJK, the Indian armed forces launched coordinated attacks on nine, deploying both fighter jets and armed drones for the operation. The strikes were likely executed using the French “SCALP” air-launched cruise missile, the French “HAMMER” smart air-to-surface stand-off weapon, loitering munitions, and other systems. The retaliatory strikes targeted major hubs linked not only to the LeT but also to the JeM — the group behind the Pulwama suicide bombing in 2019 — and to the Hizbul Mujahideen. 

On Wednesday, the official briefing on the conduct of Operation Sindoor, executed between 1:05 am and 1:30 am on May 7, was done by the Indian Army’s Col Sofiya Qureshi and the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, after initial remarks by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. The names, locations, history and details of the nine targets were provided during the briefing. 

In PoJK 

1) Sawai Nala Camp, Muzaffarabad: 30 km from the Line of Control (LoC) in the Tangdhar Sector. It was a key LeT training facility. The attack on civilians and security forces in Sonmarg on October 20, 2024, in Gulmarg on October 24, 2024, and the Pahalgam attack on April 22, were carried out by the terror module. 

2) Syedna Belal Camp, Muzaffarabad: A camp of the JeM, this camp was used to train terrorists in weapons, explosives, jungle warfare, and survival techniques. 

3) Gulpur Camp, Kotli: Located 30 km from the LoC, it was the base for the LeT operating in the Rajouri-Poonch sector. Attacks in Poonch on April 20, 2023, and those on pilgrims travelling in a bus on June 9, 2024, were conducted by terrorists trained in Gulpur. Inputs confirm that Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the 26/11 attacks mastermind, frequently visited this camp. 

4) Abbas Camp, Kotli: Located about 13 km from the LoC, it was known as the nerve centre for training of suicide bombers of the LeT. 

5) Barnala Camp, Bhimber: Located 9 km from the LoC, it was used for providing training to terrorists. 

In Pakistan 

6) Sarjal Camp, Sialkot: This is located about 6 km from the international border. The terrorists who killed four Jammu and Kashmir Police persons in March were trained here. 

7) Mehmoona Joya Camp, Sialkot: Located around 12 km from the international boundary, this was a key training facility of the Hizbul Mujahideen. Major terrorist attacks, including the 2016 attack on the Pathankot Air Force Base, were planned and 

directed here. 

8) Markaz Taiba, Muridke: Located around 25 km from the international boundary, it was the headquarters of the LeT. Terrorists trained here have also been associated with a number of attacks, including the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008. Ajmal Kasab, the lone Pakistani terrorist captured alive after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, had confessed to having received training at Muridke. According to inputs, it was revealed that David Coleman Headley, a Pakistani-American terrorist involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, had also received training at this camp. 

9) Markaz Subhan, Bahawalpur: Located around 100 km from the international border, this was the headquarters of the JeM. The facility was frequently visited by terrorist commanders, including Masood Azhar.