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by IANS |
New Delhi, May 7 (IANS) More than 70 terrorists were killed as India carried out missile strikes across nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in response to the dastardly April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
The counterstrike left more than 60 terrorists injured across the nine target locations -- Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Bahawalpur, Rawalakot, Chakswari, Bhimber, Neelum Valley, Jhelum, and Chakwal.
Codenamed Operation Sindoor, it represented a "measured, non-escalatory, proportionate, and responsible" answer to Pakistan's continuing support of cross-border terrorism and strikes on India, the government said in a briefing Wednesday morning.
The targets were selected based on "credible intelligence input" and focused on "dismantling terrorist infrastructure and disabling terrorists", Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in a press conference.
'Operation Sindoor' represented the country's right to respond to and pre-empt cross-border terrorism, he said.
Apart from Misri, the press conference was also addressed by two women officers -- Colonel Sofiya Qureshi from the Army and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh from the Air Force.
They highlighted the links between the targets and Pakistan-based terrorist groups, as well as their attacks on India.
Through the precisely coordinated missile strikes across nine terrorist-linked locations, India demonstrated that it would no longer tolerate cross-border terrorism, nor the complicity of state institutions that enable it.
The Indian Army, Navy and the Air Force, in a historic tri-services operation, carried out the strikes at 1.44 a.m. on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.
Sources said Prime Minister Narendra Modi constantly monitored the overnight operation.
India struck bases in Pakistan and PoK from where terrorist attacks were being planned and executed.
"Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and method of execution." "We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held responsible," India said in a statement.
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