Just hours after India launched a series of precision strikes targeting terrorist infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under 'Operation Sindoor', the government confirmed that the Sawi Nala camp in Muzaffarabad was the first to be destroyed in the offensive. Situated roughly 30 kilometres from the Line of Control (LoC) in Tangdhar Sector, the Sawi Nala camp has been a crucial operational base and is believed to have direct links to the chief handler of terrorists responsible for the recent Pahalgam terror attack which claimed the lives of 26 innocent people on April 22.
Addressing a press briefing in the national capital hours after the targeted strikes by India, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh outlined the objectives of the operation. Providing detailed insights into Operation Sindoor, Colonel Qureshi said the Sawi Nala camp served as a major training ground for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives.
Sawai Nala camp played key role in nurturing terrorists
Investigations have revealed that the terror module responsible for multiple attacks on civilians and security personnel — including the Sonmarg attack on October 20, 2024, the Gulmarg strike on October 24, 2024, and the Pahalgam assault on April 22, 2025 — originated from this very facility. The camp played a key role in nurturing and launching the terrorists involved in these coordinated assaults, she added. Colonel Qureshi further highlighted the Syedna Bilal camp in Muzaffarabad, a Jaish-e-Mohammed staging area serving as a "weapon, explosive, and jungle training centre".
Operation Sindoor: Precision strike to avenge Pahalgam
Meanwhile, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh elaborated on the operation's strategic intent, stating, "'Operation Sindoor' was a retaliation to the horrific Pahalgam terror attack of April 22 to serve justice to the innocent victims and their families. Nine terror camps were targeted and destroyed." She revealed that Pakistan has maintained a complex terror infrastructure for three decades, comprising 21 recruitment, indoctrination, and launch pad centres across Pakistan and PoK. "The targets for Operation Sindoor were based on credible intelligence inputs and locations that were so selected to avoid damage to civilian infrastructure and loss of civilian lives," Singh added, underscoring the operation's precision.
It should be noted here that the strikes, executed between 1:05 am and 1:30 am on Wednesday, involved a coordinated effort by the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, targeting key facilities like the JeM and LeT bases in Pakistan as well as PoK. India's military action came days after the Pahalgam terror attack which had claimed the lives on 26 innocent people on April 22. This was termed as one of the biggest terror attacks after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
