Wed May 07 02:50:00 UTC 2025: ## India Launches Major Cross-Border Operation Targeting Terrorist Camps in Pakistan
**ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI** – In a major escalation of tensions, the Indian armed forces conducted a series of overnight strikes targeting terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in an operation codenamed “Sindur.” The operation specifically targeted key facilities belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), according to Indian sources.
Pakistan’s military media wing, the DG ISPR, confirmed the strikes, stating that five locations in Kotli, Muridke, and Bahawalpur were hit. A significant target was the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters in Muridke, located approximately 33 kilometers from Lahore on the Grand Trunk Road. Known as “Markaz-e-Taiba,” this sprawling 200-acre complex, operating under the guise of the ostensibly charitable Jamaat-ud-Dawa, serves as the ideological, training, and operational hub for LeT. It includes mosques, schools, madrasas, hospitals, offices, and training grounds, used to indoctrinate and train Pakistani and Kashmiri recruits for terrorist operations.
Sources indicate that this strategically located facility, built in the late 1980s with the alleged assistance of Pakistan’s ISI and foreign funding, initially supported the Afghan jihad against the Soviet Union, but later became a focal point for anti-India activities. It is notable for its role in training terrorists involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, a fact corroborated by captured terrorist Ajmal Kasab.
LeT, along with its front organization Jamaat-ud-Dawa, boasts a vast network of over 2,500 offices and numerous madrasas across Pakistan. Despite being banned by Pakistan after 2008 and placed on the FATF grey list, India alleges that the organization remains active and continues its activities.
The operation comes amid a history of cross-border attacks linked to these groups including the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, the 2006 Mumbai train bombings, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and the 1999 Chittisinghpura massacre. The leader of LeT, Hafiz Saeed, a designated international terrorist, remains under scrutiny despite past convictions and alleged continued residence in an ISI-protected bungalow.
While India has previously conducted cross-border operations, Operation Sindur is significant for its direct targeting of LeT’s main base. The action signals a shift towards a more assertive military response to cross-border terrorism, rather than relying solely on diplomatic measures. The incident further heightens tensions between India and Pakistan.
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