New Delhi [India], May 7 (HBTV): India on Wednesday carried out precision strikes aimed at the terror infrastructure in Pakistan. Nine sites were selected for Operation Sindoor and all nine were reported to be successful.
Sources have told ANI that the Pakistan Army, backed by its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has been covertly supporting anti-India terrorist outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). The ISI has systematically coordinated financial, logistical, doctrinal and military support to these outfits, including providing them with direct combat training. These terrorist groups have been given access to infrastructure concealed in government facilities to support their operations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK). Several training camps (Markaz) and launch pads of these groups continue to operate near army installations.
While launch pads are primarily used for staging and arms training activities, larger facilities inside Pakistan provide religious indoctrination, financial support, propaganda, and expansion plans — all under the backing of the Pakistani establishment.
One of the targets was Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur, the main JeM centre for training and indoctrination since 2015. It serves as the operational headquarters of the group and is linked to major terrorist planning, including the Pulwama attack of February 14, 2019. The complex houses top JeM leaders including Maulana Masood Azhar and Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar. The site regularly hosts arms, physical, and religious training sessions for JeM cadres and has served as a platform for anti-India speeches inciting Islamic Jihad.
Another key target was Markaz Taiba in Muridke, Sheikhupura, Punjab. Established in 2000, it is the main training centre of LeT and is often referred to as its alma mater. Located in Nangal Sahdan, this centre provides arms and physical training as well as dawa’h and radicalisation programmes for terror recruits from both within and outside Pakistan. The Markaz enrolls about 1,000 students annually and is reportedly linked to Osama Bin Laden, who financed the construction of a mosque and guest house on the premises. The perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attack, including Ajmal Kasab, were trained here. David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana also visited this centre during the planning phase of the attacks.
The facility in Sarjal/Tehra Kalan, located in the Shakargarh Tehsil of Narowal District, functions as a key JeM launching site for infiltration into Jammu & Kashmir. This installation operates from the premises of a government Primary Health Centre (PHC) and is only about 6 km from the international border near the Samba Sector in J&K. It is used for digging cross-border tunnels, launching drones, and smuggling arms and narcotics into India. JeM leaders including Mohammad Adnan Ali and Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar are known to frequent and oversee operations at this location.
Another significant site, the Mehmoona Joya facility in Sialkot, is operated by Hizbul Mujahideen within the premises of Bhutta Kotli Government structures. It serves as a training and infiltration point for HM cadres attempting to enter Jammu. Senior commanders train 20–25 terrorists here at any given time, focusing on weapons handling and infiltration strategies. Mohd. Irfan Khan, also known as Irfan Tanda, heads this facility.
The Markaz Ahle Hadith Barnala, located on the outskirts of Barnala town on Kote Jamel road in Bhimber, PoJK, is a prominent LeT centre used for infiltration into the Poonch-Rajouri-Reasi sector. It functions as a staging point for LeT terrorists and houses 100–150 cadres. Key LeT operatives including Qasim Gujjar, Qasim Khanda, and Anas Jarar operate from this centre. The facility is also frequented by operational commanders for planning and supervising terror activities by LeT, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, and the Jammu & Kashmir United Movement.
Another JeM stronghold targeted was Markaz Abbas in Kotli. This centre is overseen by Hafiz Abdul Shakoor alias Qari Zarrar, a 'shura member' of the JeM council and a close aide of Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar. Qari Zarrar, wanted by India's National Investigation Agency (NIA), uses the facility to plan and execute terrorist operations in J&K. It accommodates around 100–125 JeM cadres and coordinates infiltration efforts from the Poonch-Rajouri region.
Also struck was the Maskar Raheel Shahid facility in Kotli, PoJK — one of the oldest training camps of Hizbul Mujahideen. It can house up to 200 cadres and provides arms training, physical endurance programmes, and specialized skills such as sniping, BAT operations, and survival tactics for hilly terrain.
The Shawai Nallah Camp, also known as Bait-ul-Mujahideen, located near the Chelabandi bridge on Muzaffarabad-Neelum Road in PoJK, was a major LeT target. This training facility played a significant role in preparing the 26/11 attackers. Since the early 2000s, it has functioned as a base for recruiting, training, and dispatching LeT cadres into India. Training at this site includes religious indoctrination, tactical skills such as GPS use, map reading, and handling arms. It accommodates 200–250 cadres and also serves as a staging area for militants before their movement toward North Kashmir.
Lastly, Markaz Syedna Bilal in Muzaffarabad, located opposite Red Fort, is the primary JeM centre in PoJK. It functions as a transit camp for JeM cadres prior to infiltration into Jammu & Kashmir. At any time, it hosts 50–100 cadres. The site is overseen by Mufti Asghar Khan Kashmiri, with support from Abdullah Jehadi alias Abdullah Kashmiri and Indian fugitive Aashiq Nengroo. Notably, the Special Service Group (SSG) of the Pakistan Army provides training to JeM recruits at this location.
Sources confirmed that Indian Armed Forces successfully struck all nine terror targets — four in Pakistan (Bahawalpur, Muridke, Sialkot, and Narowal) and five in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The strikes were executed using precision munitions in a well-coordinated operation.
The mission was jointly conducted by the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force with full mobilisation of assets and troops. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was closely monitoring the progress of Operation Sindoor throughout the night, sources said.
(ANI)