India strikes deep in Pakistan: Masood Azhar’s kin, top Jaish aides killed in ‘Op Sindoor’

In a decisive counter-terror operation, the Indian Armed Forces on May 7 carried out precision strikes on nine terror-linked sites across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), killing 14 operatives of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) — including 10 of the family members of its chief, Maulana Masood Azhar.

The strikes, part of a covert mission codenamed ‘Operation Sindoor’, targeted critical infrastructure of JeM, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Hizbul Mujahideen, in what officials described as a “strategic and symbolic retaliation” following the brutal terrorist assault in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that left 26 civilians dead.

Among the deceased in the Indian missile strikes were Azhar’s elder sister, her husband, his nephew and his wife, along with other close family members and four key JeM aides. The epicenter of the strike was Markaz Subhan Allah, JeM’s headquarters in Bahawalpur, which was reduced to rubble in the operation.

In an incendiary statement following the attack, Azhar condemned the Indian action, declaring, “This cruelty has broken all boundaries. Now, no one should expect mercy.”

Operation Sindoor reportedly targeted:

• Markaz Subhan Allah, Bahawalpur (JeM HQ)
• Sarjal at Tehra Kalan
• Markaz Abbas, Kotli
• Syedna Bilal Camp, Muzaffarabad
• Markaz Taiba, Murdike (Lashkar-e-Taiba)
• Markaz Ahle Hadith, Barnala
• Shwawai Nalla Camp, Muzaffarabad
• Makaz Raheel Shahid, Kotli (Hizbul Mujahideen)
• Mehmoona Joya, Sialkot

Of the nine targets, four were located inside Pakistan and five in PoK, according to official sources. The Indian Air Force conducted the raids under the cover of darkness, with satellite intelligence guiding high-precision weaponry to ensure minimal collateral damage.

The operation’s name — Sindoor — is a powerful reference to the red vermilion worn by Hindu married women, a symbolic nod to a viral image that captured national grief: a stunned woman beside her slain husband’s body after the Pahalgam massacre. The picture became a poignant emblem of the cost of terrorism and reportedly served as the emotional catalyst for the operation’s swift execution.

Indian defense officials have not formally commented on the details of the strike, but sources say this marks a clear shift toward a more aggressive counter-terror policy targeting the leadership and infrastructure of terror groups operating across the border.