New Delhi: In a daring and high-impact cross-border military operation, Indian armed forces are learnt to have eliminated 14 members of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar’s family, including the son of his brother and India’s most wanted terrorist Rauf Asgar during Operation Sindoor.
Asgar himself is reported to be critically injured. The operation, which lasted just 25 minutes, targeted key terror bases deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), officials confirmed.
Carried out as a joint mission of the Indian Army, Air Force, and Navy, the strikes destroyed nine major terror installations, including Jaish’s stronghold in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Toiba’s base in Muridke.
The action comes in response to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that killed 26 civilians, including 25 tourists and one local resident, marking one of the most heinous civilian-targeted assaults in recent years.
Operation executed with surgical precision
Sources said the operation was executed with surgical precision, based on months of intelligence gathering and surveillance.
Among those neutralised were close relatives of Masood Azhar, one of India’s most wanted terrorists and the mastermind behind numerous past attacks.
The fact that Rauf Asgar’s son was among the dead and Asgar himself was severely injured underscores the operation’s direct hit on the terror group’s command structure.
According to Indian intelligence officials, Bahawalpur, Masood Azhar’s base, had been under active surveillance, with signs of renewed militant mobilisation following the Pahalgam killings.
“These were not fringe elements. The targets were part of the inner circle of terror leadership,” a senior defence source said.
Measured but decisive response
In a detailed press briefing, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh shared key details of the mission.
Misri described the operation as “measured, proportionate, and responsible”, aimed at thwarting future terror attacks on Indian soil.
“Despite two weeks having passed since the Pahalgam attack, Pakistan has shown no willingness to dismantle the terror infrastructure it shelters,” Misri said.
“On the contrary, it has resorted to denial and false accusations. Our intelligence monitoring confirmed that more attacks were being planned, which made it imperative to act—both to deter and preempt.”
Precision at the core of Operation Sindoor
Col Sofiya Qureshi described the nine targets as “nerve centers of cross-border terrorism,” located in Muzaffarabad, Bahawalpur, Muridke, Sialkot and Kotli.
The mission’s objective was to destroy launch pads, training camps and arms depots without harming civilians. “The strikes were based on credible multi-agency intelligence, and every effort was made to avoid collateral damage,” she said.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh noted that satellite imagery, human intelligence and real-time aerial surveillance were used to coordinate the night-time strikes. “We had a narrow window, and we used it decisively,” she said.
Global attention on Pakistan’s terror links
India has updated global partners and the United Nations Security Council on the operation and evidence linking the targeted facilities to Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and The Resistance Front (TRF).
Officials say the deaths of Azhar’s relatives and the injury to Rauf Asgar have dealt a severe blow to the operational capabilities of Jaish-e-Mohammed.
TNR News Network
