New Delhi, May 7
The Indian Army revealed on Wednesday that one of the terror camps destroyed during Operation Sindoor was the same facility where Ajmal Kasab and David Headley -- key figures in the 2008 Mumbai attacks -- received rigorous training.
Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab was a Pakistani terrorist and a member of the Islamist militant organization Lashkar-e-Taiba through which he took part in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
David Coleman Headley is a Pakistani-American terrorist and the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. He played a key role in orchestrating the attacks, working with the Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Addressing the media, Col. Sofiya Qureshi presented videos of the precision strikes, showing destruction at multiple terror camps, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters in Muridke, Pakistan's Punjab province.
"Terror site Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur, the headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammed, was among the targets hit by the Indian Armed Forces. No military installations were targeted, and so far there are no reports of civilian casualties in Pakistan," she said.
Under Operation Sindoor, nine sites -- four in Pakistan and five in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) -- were targeted following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists.
The Indian Air Force selected the targets based on intelligence inputs indicating that terror camps were masquerading as health centres to evade detection, army said.
Among the targets were facilities operated by globally banned groups Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.
These targets included Lashkar-e-Taiba's Muridke HQ -- visited by David Headley and Tahawwur Rana, and linked to Kasab's training. Osama bin Laden had reportedly donated Rs 10 lakh for a guest house on the premises.
Another terror camp, Shawai Nalla camp, Muzaffarabad (PoK) -- a key Lashkar-e-Taiba training site where 26/11 attackers were trained and operational since 2000 and capable of housing 200-250 terrorists, was also hit.
Sarjal, Tehra Kalan (Narowal district, Pakistan) -- a primary launchpad of Jaish-e-Mohammed operated from a health centre, run by de facto chief Abdul Rauf Asgar. Located just six km from the Samba sector in Jammu, used for cross-border tunnel digging and drone-based arms and narcotics drops, was also destroyed in the air strike.
Other locations struck by the Indian Army included Markaz Subhan Allah, Bahawalpur; Markaz Abbas, Kotli; Syedna Bilal camp, Muzaffarabad; Markaz Taiba, Muridke; Markaz Ahle Hadith, Barnala; Makaz Raheel Shahid, Kotli; and Mehmoona Joya, Sialkot.
Sources said the selection of these targets was guided by comprehensive intelligence on Pakistan's evolving strategies to conceal terror infrastructure and dodge international sanctions, especially from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
- IANS