NEW DELHI — India on Wednesday confirmed it carried out targeted strikes on nine locations inside Pakistan and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, describing the operation as a precise attack on what it called “terrorist infrastructure” responsible for recent violence in the region. The announcement marked a sharp escalation in tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
Loud explosions were reported in several areas, including Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir, where power outages followed the blasts. While the exact nature of the explosions remained unclear, the Indian government issued a statement shortly after, outlining the objectives of the operation.
“In the early hours today, the Indian armed forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor,’ hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where attacks on Indian soil have been planned and directed,” the statement read.
India emphasized that the strikes were deliberately limited in scope, saying the military had shown “considerable restraint” by avoiding Pakistani military installations and focusing solely on non-state militant targets. “Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature,” the government added.
The military strikes followed the killing of 26 Hindu pilgrims in Indian-administered Kashmir last month, an attack New Delhi has blamed on Pakistan-based militants. In response to the massacre, Indian officials had vowed to retaliate. Pakistan, however, denied any involvement and accused India of manufacturing a pretext for cross-border aggression, warning that it had intelligence indicating a planned Indian assault.
Pakistan’s leadership has condemned the strikes and vowed to respond. The scale and nature of Pakistan’s response remain unclear as both sides brace for potential fallout from the renewed hostilities.
The military operation comes amid mounting regional instability and renewed fears of confrontation in a long-contested region that has triggered wars and skirmishes in the past. The situation remains fluid as both nations assess the strategic implications of the strikes.
