100 Terrorists, 35-40 Pak Army Personnel Killed, Proof Of Damage Inflicted — Key Takeaways From DGMO Briefing
DGMOs underlined that how Pakistan behaves in the period to come will be monitored, and India will retaliate strongly if the ceasefire — as agreed on Saturday — is violated.
At least 100 terrorists were eliminated in the precision strikes carried out under Operation Sindoor in the wee hours of Wednesday, and around 35-40 personnel of the Pakistani Army were killed in the escalation over the past couple of days, the Indian military officers said in a press briefing on Sunday.
In the press meet, called by the Director General of Military Operations of all the three wings of the armed forces, evidences were also shared to prove the success of the precision strikes that were carried out by India.
The Indian DGMOs underlined that how Pakistan behaves in the period to come will be monitored, and India will retaliate strongly if the ceasefire — as agreed on Saturday — is violated.
Here are the five key highlights from the DGMO press briefing:
Nine Terror Camps Destroyed
The Indian armed forces carried out coordinated precision missile strikes on nine terrorist facilities—four in Pakistan (including Bahawalpur and Muridke) and five in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (such as Muzaffarabad and Kotli). These facilities were key command centers for Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), responsible for attacks like Pulwama (2019) and Mumbai (2008).
The action led to the killing of over 100 terrorists, the military officers claimed, adding that among those eliminated were high-value targets such as Yusuf Azhar, Abdul Malik Rauf and Mudasir Ahmed who were involved in the hijack of IC814 and the 2019 Pulwama blast.
Lethal Blow To Pakistan's Air Defences
In response to Pakistan’s retaliatory drone and missile attacks on May 7,8 and 9, targeting multiple Indian cities and military installations, India launched kamikaze drones to destroy Pakistani air defenses across the country including neutralising air defence system of Lahore, the military said.
India’s air defense system proved instrumental in neutralising all incoming threats, resulting in near zero casualties or material losses, and exposing flaws in Pakistan’s HQ-9 system.
India’s counter military actions on night of May 9-10 also became the first instance of a country damaging air force camps of a nuclear country. Within three hours, 11 bases were attacked including Nur Khan, Rafiqui, Murid, Sukkur, Sialkot, Pasrur, Chunian, Sargodha, Skaru, Bholari and Jacobabad.
This led to destruction of 20% infrastructure of Pakistan’s airforce.
Proof Of Precision Strikes' Success
At the DGMO press briefing, visuals were shared to prove the damage inflicted on the terrorist camps targeted in the precision strikes on Wednesday, and on the Pakistani forces' airfields over the next couple of days as part of the retaliatory strikes.
The slide below points towards the destruction of terrorist camps in Bhawalpur and Muridke.
The slideshow of images below show the damage inflicted on Pakistani forces' airfields.
'Will Wait For What Happens Tonight'
The Indian forces will wait for "what happens tonight", said Air Marshal AK Bharti. The statement a day after Pakistan violated ceasefire hours after an understanding was reached between the two sides on Saturday. However, the border situation largely remain calmed last night and today so far.
The Indian forces have thus far exercised immense restraint. However, any threat to the country's sovereignty will be met with immense force, Lt General Rajiv Ghai underlined.
Message Sent Globally
India's response to the Pahalgam attack and the escalation by the Pakistani forces this week, showed the world that the country will not wait for permission to defend its people, the military highlighted.
The operation, which was carried out with precision, showed that terror will be punished — anytime, anywhere. It also showed that terrorists and their masterminds will have no place to hide, they added.
