Monitoring Desk
India claims it carried out multiple strikes on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday under “Operation Sandhoor,” targeting what it calls “terrorist hideouts” in Punjab and Azad Kashmir.
Meanwhile, Pakistani authorities stated that these attacks from Indian airspace killed 26 civilians, including women and children, and injured 46 others.
Military spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stated that, according to available information, India carried out a total of 24 attacks at six locations using various types of weaponry.
In a statement issued Tuesday night, the military spokesperson said India targeted Ahmedpur East, Muridke, Sialkot, and Shakargarh in Punjab province, and Kotli and Muzaffarabad in Azad Kashmir.
The Indian government claimed it struck nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, targeting “terrorist infrastructure.” It also asserted that no civilians or military installations were targeted in the strikes.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told the BBC in an interview that after India’s missile attacks, Pakistan responded by downing two Indian Air Force fighter jets and one drone.
According to Reuters, India claimed that it targeted nine camps. These are: Markaz Subhan Allah, Bahawalpur, Markaz Taiba, Muridke, Sarjal, Tehra Kalan, Mehmoona Joya Facility, Sialkot, Markaz Ahle Hadith Barnala, Bhimber, Markaz Abbas, Kotli, Maskar Raheel Shahid, located in Kotli District, Shawai Nallah Camp and Markaz Syedna Bilal in Muzaffarabad.
BBC has reported about the locations India claimed to have targeted, and assessed the damage caused there.
Ahmedpur East (Bahawalpur)
Ahmedpur East is a historic town in Bahawalpur district of Punjab, Pakistan.
According to the Pakistani military, Subhan Mosque in this area was hit with four strikes, which destroyed the mosque and damaged nearby residential areas.
Five people were killed in these attacks, including a three-year-old girl, two women, and two men. Additionally, 31 people were injured.
Muridke
Located in Sheikhupura district of Punjab, Muridke is about 40 km north of Lahore.
It is noteworthy that the town houses the headquarters of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, called Dawat-ul-Irshad, according to BBC.
According to the military spokesperson, Muridke’s Umm-ul-Qura Mosque and surrounding quarters were targeted in four Indian strikes. One person was killed, one injured, and two are missing.
Muzaffarabad
The capital of Azad Kashmir, home to several key government offices and buildings.
The military spokesperson stated that Bilal Mosque in the Shawai Nala area was hit.
According to a BBC correspondent, Shawai Nala is located along the main road leading up to a hilltop area known as Shaheed Gali.
She reported that people from Shawai and nearby Saman Bandi are relocating to other parts of the city, with traffic jams and people arriving to check on and transport loved ones. Security forces have reached the area.
Seven strikes were reported on Bilal Mosque, in which a girl was injured.
Kotli
It is located in Azad Kashmir, about 120 kilometers from Islamabad and near the Line of Control.
The military spokesperson stated that a mosque in Kotli was also hit, resulting in the deaths of a 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old youth, while two women were injured.
Sialkot
An important city in Punjab, located along the Chenab River, and about 48 km south of Indian occupied Jammu.
According to the spokesperson, two shells were fired at Kotli Loharan village north of Sialkot. One did not explode. There were no casualties.
Shakargarh
A tehsil in Narowal district of Punjab. To its east lies India’s Gurdaspur district, and to the north the Jammu region. Its borders touch both the international boundary and the Working Boundary with India.
The military spokesperson said two shells were fired at Shakargarh, causing minor damage to a dispensary.