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A high-precision, multi-domain offensive, Operation Sindoor represents the strategic evolution of India’s counter-terrorism doctrine
Image Source: Getty
On the intervening night of 6-7 May, 2025, from 01:05 to 01:30 AM, Indian armed forces conducted a tri-service military operation codenamed ‘Operation Sindoor’. It targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), aiming to neutralise the operational capabilities of groups responsible for cross-border terrorism on Indian soil.
India said the operation was intended to “pre-empt” and “deter” cross-border terrorism, specifically the Pahalgam attack of 22 April, 2025, that killed 26 civilians (25 Indians and one Nepali) at Baisaran Valley in Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian government attributed the attack to The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The group had initially claimed responsibility for the attack and subsequently denied it, alleging a “cyber intrusion”.
India described its actions as “focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature”. The operation deliberately avoided targeting Pakistani military installations to minimise the risk of escalation. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh claimed that Operation Sindoor was an “ongoing operation”. He also stated that the strikes had killed over 100 terrorists. Among the most notable casualties was Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) leader Abdul Rauf Azhar, who was involved in the IC-814 hijacking of December 1999 and the killing of American journalist Daniel Pearl. Reportedly, 10 family members of JeM chief Masood Azhar were killed.
This was the most expansive military operation conducted by the Indian armed forces since the 1971 War. Moreover, unlike previous operations such as the 2016 surgical strikes and the 2019 Balakot airstrike, which were targeted responses, Operation Sindoor constituted a multi-domain, high-precision offensive spread across Pakistan’s Punjab province and PoJK, signalling a strategic evolution in India’s approach to cross-border terrorism.
The operation involved precision strikes targeting nine sites—four in Pakistan and five in PoJK—linked to anti-India terrorist groups such as the LeT, JeM and the Hizbul Mujahideen. The targeted sites included Muridke (LeT headquarters) and Bahawalpur (JeM headquarters).
Figure 1: Maps showing targeted sites in Pakistan and PoJK
Source: Observer Research Foundation
Table 1: List of terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK targeted in Operation Sindoor
| Name | Location | Affiliation/Function | Reason for Selection |
| Sawai/ Shawai Nala | Muzaffarabad, PoJK | LeT training centre | Nearly 30 km from the Line of Control (LoC); terrorists involved in the Sonamarg (October 2024), Gulmarg (October 2024), and Pahalgam (April 2025) attacks trained here. |
| Syedna Bilal | Muzaffarabad, PoJK | JeM staging area; arms, explosives, jungle survival training | Major staging and training centre for JeM operatives. |
| Gulpur | Kotli, PoJK | LeT base active in Rajouri-Poonch | Located 30 km from the LoC; terrorists involved in the Poonch (April 2023) and Hindu pilgrims’ bus (June 2024) attacks trained here. |
| Barnala | Bhimber, PoJK | LeT; Weapons handling, IED, jungle survival training centre | Located 9 km from the LoC; the main centre for weapons and IED training. |
| Abbas | Kotli, PoJK | LeT fidayeen (suicide attacks) training centre | Nearly 13 km from the LoC; used for training suicide attackers; capacity for 15 terrorists. |
| Sarjal | Sialkot, Pakistan | JeM; Training for attacks on J&K Police | Located about 6 km from the International Boundary (IB); terrorists who killed four J&K police personnel in March 2025 trained here. |
| Mehmoona Joya | Sialkot, Pakistan | Large Hizbul Mujahideen camp; control centre for Kathua-Jammu region | Located about 12 km from the IB; the Pathankot Air Force base attack of January 2016 was planned and directed from here. |
| Markaz Taiba | Muridke, Pakistan | LeT headquarters; training centre | About 25 km from the IB; the 26/11 attackers, including Ajmal Kasab and David Headley, trained here. |
| Masjid/Markaz Subhan Allah | Bahawalpur, Pakistan | JeM headquarters; recruitment, training, indoctrination | Located around 100 km from IB; the main centre for JeM leadership and operations. |
Source: Authors’ compilation from various sources.
The images and maps below combine OSINT imagery and slides presented at the Government of India briefing on Operation Sindoor on 7 May, 2025.
Site no. 1: Masjid Syedna Bilal/Hazrat Bilal, Muzaffarabad (PoJK)
Source: OSINT Imagery from the X handle of Nathan Ruser
Source: Government of India briefing on Operation Sindoor, May 7, 2025
Site no. 2: Training camp in Gulpur, Kotli (PoJK)
Source: OSINT Imagery from the X handle of Nathan Ruser
Site no. 3: Sawai Nala Camp, Muzaffarabad (PoJK)
Source: OSINT Imagery from the X handle of Nathan Ruser
Site no. 4: Masjid Ahl-e-Hadis, Barnala, Bhimber (PoJK)
Source: OSINT Imagery from the X handle of Nathan Ruser
Source: Government of India briefing on Operation Sindoor, May 7, 2025
Site no. 5: Masjid Abbas, Kotli (PoJK)
Source: OSINT Imagery from the X handle of Nathan Ruser
Source: Government of India briefing on Operation Sindoor, 7 May 2025
Site no. 6: Sarjal camp, Sialkot (Pakistan)
Source: Government of India briefing on Operation Sindoor, 7 May, 2025
Site no. 7: Mehmoona Joya, Sialkot (Pakistan)
Source: Government of India briefing on Operation Sindoor, 7 May 2025
Site no. 8: Markaz Taiba, Muridke (Pakistan)
Source: OSINT Imagery from the X handle of Nathan Ruser
Source: Government of India briefing on Operation Sindoor, May 7, 2025
Site no. 9: Masjid Subhan Allah, Bahawalpur (Pakistan)
Source: OSINT Imagery from the X handle of Nathan Ruser
Source: Mathrubhumi English
At the 7 May briefing, the Indian government also presented a list of 21 terrorist training camps in Pakistan and PoJK (including the nine sites targeted).
Figure 2: Terrorist training camps in Pakistan and PoJK
Source: Government of India briefing on Operation Sindoor, 7 May 2025
Operation Sindoor was an intelligence-driven operation that leveraged satellite surveillance, drone technology and human intelligence. Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets took off under the guise of a training exercise, employing radar blackouts and NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) to mask their movement and maximise surprise. The operation was conducted through stand-off weapons, with missiles being launched by fighter jets from Indian territory. India used two key weapon systems for the operation: SCALP & HAMMER. In addition, India also used SkyStriker suicide drones, which can carry a warhead of up to 10kg.
The choice of precision-guided munitions was meant to neutralise target sites without causing any major collateral damage in the form of civilian casualties.
Figure 3: Technical details of SCALP Missile
Source: India Today
Figure 4: Technical details of Hammer PGM
Source: India Today
Following Operation Sindoor, Pakistan claimed the Indian action as an act of aggression intended to target civilians. It claimed that the Indian action had killed 26 Pakistani civilians and injured 46 others. Islamabad also underlined Article 51 of the United Nations Charter to claim the right to retaliate against India as per “a time and place of its own choosing”.
Pakistan has responded by conducting heavy shelling along the adjacent regions of the LoC, killing at least 12 Indian civilians, one army jawan, and injuring 51. The targets included a gurdwara in Poonch.
Figure 5: A property damaged by cross-border shelling in Mendhar, Poonch district, J&K
Source: Press Trust of India
In addition, on the intervening night of 7-8 May 2025, Pakistan attempted to engage several military targets in Northern and Western India. These included targets in J&K (Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu), Punjab (Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh), Rajasthan (Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai) and Gujarat (Bhuj). India neutralised these attacks by employing the Integrated Counter UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) Grid and air defence systems.
In response, on 8 May, India targeted Air Defence Radars and Systems in several Pakistani cities, including Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi. Lahore’s air defence system was reportedly neutralised. India is also reported to have employed Israeli Harop drones during these raids. This was followed by a series of Pakistani drone raids targeting multiple locations along the western borders, including in Jammu, Pathankot, and Udhampur. The IAF activated its Integrated Counter UAS Grid and other air defence systems, including the S-400 Triumf, Barak-8 MRSAM (medium range surface-to-air missile) and the indigenous Akash, helping set up an air defence umbrella that helped thwart the attacks.
Diplomatic Signaling:
India briefed the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Russia about its military operations and related developments.“India’s actions have been focused and precise. They were measured, responsible and designed to be non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani civilian, economic or military targets have been hit. Only known terror camps were targeted,” a statement issued by the Indian Embassy in Washington and shared by the MEA read. National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval also spoke to the acting US NSA and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and briefed him about India’s actions. Doval also drew India’s redlines, saying, “India had no intent to escalate but was well prepared to retaliate resolutely, should Pakistan decide to escalate”.
Media Coverage:
The global media coverage has largely painted India’s actions in a favourable light. The Wall Street Journal stated that the Operation Sindoor was “in retaliation for a deadly militant attack on tourists in Kashmir, intensifying a confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbors.” The BBC reported that “the Indian defence ministry said the strikes… were part of a “commitment” to hold those responsible for the 22 April attack which left 25 Indians and one Nepali national dead “accountable.” It said the Pahalgam attack was “the worst attack on civilians in the region in two decades, and sparked widespread anger in India.”
The French Le Monde compared the 7 May strikes with two past episodes of response in the wake of terror attacks in Uri and Pulwama. It noted that this time the response was “much more heightened and the retaliatory strikes much stronger”. Referring to Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif’s comments on his country’s “right to respond decisively to this unprovoked Indian attack”, the paper noted that “he does not hold the keys to power.”
Anadolu, Türkiye’s state-run news agency, said “multiple explosions were heard in different parts of Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir,” following India’s strikes. Alongside the Indian military’s statements, it heavily quoted Lt Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the spokesman of Pakistan’s military, and Prime Minister Sharif.
UAE’s The National reported on the civilian suffering on the Indian side from Pakistan’s shelling fire and mentioned Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, calling on India and Pakistan to “exercise restraint, de-escalate tension and avoid further escalation that could threaten regional and international peace.”
The Russian Tass news agency focused its reporting on India’s official remarks and highlighted that the strikes aimed at “targeting the roots of cross-border terror planning”.
As it stands, Operation Sindoor represents an ongoing military campaign. It has unequivocally demonstrated a significant evolution in India’s counter-terrorism strategy. It underscores the fact that India now reserves the right to conduct pre-emptive strikes against terrorist outfits irrespective of the location of their bases.
Sameer Patil is the Director of the Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology at the Observer Research Foundation
Rahul Rawat is a Research Assistant with the Strategic Studies Programme at the Observer Research Foundation
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Dr Sameer Patil is Director, Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology at the Observer Research Foundation. His work focuses on the intersection of technology and national ...
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Rahul Rawat is a Research Assistant with ORF’s Strategic Studies Programme (SSP). He also coordinates the SSP activities. His work focuses on strategic issues in the ...
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