Wed May 07 00:20:00 UTC 2025: ## India Launches Major Cross-Border Counter-Terror Operation ‘Operation Sindhoor’
**ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI, May 7, 2025** – In a significant escalation of tensions, the Indian armed forces launched a pre-dawn cross-border operation codenamed “Operation Sindhoor” targeting multiple terrorist training camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The operation, confirmed by Pakistan’s military’s media wing, the DG ISPR, reportedly struck five locations in Kotli, Muridke, and Bahawalpur.
The most significant target was the Markaz-e-Taiba, the headquarters of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), located approximately 33 kilometers from Lahore on the historic Grand Trunk Road in Muridke. This sprawling 200-acre complex, according to India Today, houses a mosque, school, madrasa, hospital, bank, offices, and training grounds, serving as a crucial hub for training Pakistani and Kashmiri recruits in terrorist activities. Established in the late 1980s by LeT founder Hafiz Saeed with the alleged assistance of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and foreign funding, the Markaz initially supported the Afghan Jihad against the Soviet Union but later became a focal point for anti-India operations. Intelligence gathered from Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist from the 2008 Mumbai attacks, implicated the Markaz in training several perpetrators of that deadly assault.
LeT and its affiliated organization, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), operate a vast network of over 2,500 offices and dozens of madrasas across Pakistan, despite being ostensibly banned after 2008 and listed on the FATF grey list. India has long viewed these measures as insufficient, maintaining that the organizations remain active. These groups have been linked to numerous terrorist attacks, including the 2001 Indian Parliament attack (in conjunction with Jaish-e-Mohammed), the 2006 Mumbai local train bombings, and the devastating 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Hafiz Saeed, designated a global terrorist by several countries including the US, remains a central figure. Despite past incarcerations, he reportedly enjoys relative freedom in an ISI-protected compound in Lahore. Pakistan rejected India’s extradition request for Saeed in 2023.
While this is not the first time India has conducted cross-border strikes against terrorist infrastructure, Operation Sindhoor marks a significant escalation. The direct targeting of LeT’s main headquarters sends a clear message that India intends to respond to terrorist attacks with military action, not merely diplomatic pronouncements. The full extent of the operation’s success and casualties remain unclear pending further information.
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