Indian armed forces reiterated today that Operation Sindoor only targeted terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK), and that Islamabad was responsible for any loss that they incurred.
The anti-terror operation followed the Pahalgam terror attack and destroyed at least nine terror camps. As Pakistan launched aerial attacks on Indian civilian and military areas, Indian forces struck back and hit three airfields in Pakistan. Over a hundred terrorists and 30-40 Pakistan’s military personnel were killed in the strikes, the forces had said.
“Our fight was with terrorists and their infrastructure, and not Pakistan’s military. That’s why we struck only terror camps on May 7. It is a pity that Pakistan’s military chose to side with terrorists and made it their own fight. That’s why our retaliation was necessary. They are themselves responsible for their losses,” Air Marshal AK Bharti said at a special media briefing this afternoon.
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Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, Vice Admiral AN Pramod, and Maj Gen SS Sharda were also present at the briefing.
The senior officer of the Air Force said the country’s air defence system stood like a wall protecting the country. “It was impenetrable for the enemy,” he said.
The Indian armed forces managed to minimise the damage to both civilian and military infrastructure in the country despite the unrelenting efforts by the Pakistani forces, said Air Marshal Bharti.
India’s Air Defence
Citing the widespread curiosity about the country’s layered and integrated air defence systems, he said those also include the assets of the Army and Navy in addition to the primary air defence assets of the Indian Air Force.
Read: “Destroy Enemy In The Sky”: India Confirms Downing Pakistani Mirage Jet
“This robust air defence system comprises a large variety of multi-layered air defence sensors and weapon systems. From point defence weapons, like the low-level air defence guns, shoulder-fired MANPADs, and short-range surface-to-air missiles, to area defence weapons, like the air defence fighters, and longer-range surface-to-air missiles are within our infantry,” said Air Marshal Bharti.
He said Pakistan used drones and unmanned combat aerial vehicles to target Indian locations, and the attacks were thwarted by the indigenously developed soft-and-hard kill counter-UA systems and the air defence personnel.
Not just the new ones, even the older battle-proven air defence systems like the Pechora, Osa-AK, and the LLAD guns in countering the Pakistani threat vectors in the current operations, he said.
Read: Videos Show Massive Damage To Pak Military Bases After Operation Sindoor
“These battle-proven systems stood the test of time and took them head-on. Another highlight has been the stellar performance of indigenous air defence weapon systems like the Akash system,” he added.
The hostilities ended Saturday after both countries announced a ceasefire. While some violation was reported that evening, Sunday night was largely peaceful and no such incident came to the fore, Army said in a statement this morning.