E-Paper
‘High-value terrorists killed, Navy deployed’: 5 revelations about Operation Sindoor
Several revelations about details and scale of Operation Sindoor were made during the joint press briefing on Sunday.
DGMO Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, DGAO Air Marshal AK Bharti, DGNO Vice Admiral AN Pramod and Major General SS Sharma on Sunday addressed a joint press briefing, detailing how the Indian armed forces conducted Operation Sindoor and punished Pakistan after it attacked civilian and military infrastructure.
Track live updates of India-Pakistan news here.
During the press conference, several revelations were made, including how many terrorists were killed and the scale of Operation Sindoor.
Also read: Highly confidential manual guided India’s top officials during conflict with Pakistan
Here are the major revelations made during the press briefing.
Indian Navy was deployed with combative readiness after the Pahalgam attack
Vice Admiral AN Pramod revealed during the press conference that the Indian Navy was deployed with full combative readiness after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, including 25 Indians. “The Indian Navy's Carrier battle group, surface forces, submarines and aviation assets were immediately deployed at sea with full combat readiness...We tested and refined tactics and procedures at sea during multiple weapon firings in the Arabian Sea within 96 hours of the terrorist attack...Our forces remained forward deployed in the Northern Arabian Sea in a decisive and deterrent posture with full readiness and capacity to strike select targets at sea and on land, including Karachi, at a time of our choosing,” he said.
The Indian Navy’s deployment compelled Pakistan forces to be in a defensive posture
The combative readiness of the Indian Navy compelled the naval and air forces of Pakistan to take on defensive positions. “Our forces remained forward deployed in the Northern Arabian Sea in a decisive and deterrent posture with full readiness and capacity to strike select targets at sea and on land, including Karachi, at a time of our choosing. The forward deployment of the Indian Navy compelled Pakistani naval and air units to be in a defensive posture, mostly inside harbours or very close to the coast,” said Vice Admiral AN Pramod.
High-value terrorists killed in May 7 attack
Director General of Military Operations, Lt General Rajiv Ghai, confirmed during the press briefing that nine terror sites were targeted during the strikes on May 7 and over 100 terrorists were killed. Some “high-value” terrorists were also killed, including Yusuf Azhar, Abdul Malik Rauf and Mudasir Ahmed. The DGMO revealed other high-value target names too in a press release. According to the release, Khalid (Abu Akasha) was killed on May 7, and he was a trained LeT terrorist, who operated in J&K and also exfiltrated back.
Were Rafale fighter jets downed during Operation Sindoor?
While responding to reports whether Rafale fighter jets were downed during Operation Sindoor, Air Marshal AK Bharti did not confirm or deny the claims. “We are in a combat scenario, and losses are a part of it. The question is: Have we achieved our objective? Answer is a thumping yes,” he said.
India reached out to Pakistan's DGMO in the wake of ‘Operation Sindoor’
DGMO Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai revealed that in the wake of Operation Sindoor, India reached out to Pakistan’s DGMO about its “compulsions at the heart of terror”; the request was turned down with “intimation”. “Even though we did attempt to reach out and communicate our compulsion at the heart of terror, to my counterpart in the immediate wake of 'Operation Sindoor', the request was briskly turned down with an intimation that a severe response was inevitable and in the offing. We were, of course, prepared,” he said.
