Kalam INDIA Muridke It’s a shame. They have been fighting for many, many decades... I just hope it ends very quickly We call on India and Pakistan to prioritise peace and stability, remain calm and restrained We hope the differences will be resolved through peaceful, political and diplomatic means We call on India and Pakistan to exercise restraint to avoid escalation and protect civilians Pakistan reserves the right to respond appropriately at a time and place of its choosing Donald Trump, US president Chinese foreign ministry Russia’s foreign ministry Jean-Noel, French FM Lahore Amritsar Pak foreign ministry Jalandhar PA K I S TA N Bahawalpur PAHALGAM AVENGeD Precision strikes on nine terror camps of Let, JeM and Hizb in Pakistan and PoK from 1 .04 am No military or civilian infra attacked Govt works the phones to brief major international leaders Pak calls it a heinous act of aggression, says resolute response underway banned Hizbul Mujahideen). “Our actions have been foA fortnight after the horrific cused, measured and non-escaPahalgam massacre that shook latory in nature. No Pakistani up the nation like never before, military facilities have been India launched Operation Sin- targeted. India has demonstratdoor in the wee hours of ed considerable restraint in seWednesday hitting nine terror- lection of targets and method , ist sites in Pakistan and Paki- of execution,” the defence minstan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). istry statement stated. The “precision strikes” by These steps came in the wake missiles were against the ter- of the barbaric Pahalgam terror infrastructure alone in Pa- rorist attack in which 25 Indikistan. An official, who spoke ans and a Nepali citizen were on condition of gunned down. anonymity, said “We are living up Prime Minister to the commitNarendra Modi ment that those monitored the responsible for Prime Minister o p e r a t i o n this attack will Narendra Modi against Pakistan be held accounthails the armed through the able,” the minisforces for targeted strikes night. try said. at terror camps in The camps Senior Indian Pakistan and PoK of ficials later that faced Indian fury in Pakistan briefed their across the International Bor- counterparts in a number of der were Markaz Subhan Allah countries, including the US, at Bahawalpur, Markaz Taiba the UK, Saudi Arabia, UAE and at Murdike, and Mehmoona Russia on the attack. Joya and Sarjal at Tehra Kalan National Security Advisor in Sialkot. Ajit Doval spoke to his US counThe other five were inside terpart and Secretary of State the PoK across the Line of Con- Marco Rubio, briefing him on trol (LoC) — the Markaz Abbas the Indian actions. in Kotli and Syedna Bilal camp The operation was jointly in Muzaffarabad (all of the conducted by the Army and the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed), Air Force with the Indian Navy Markaz Ahle Hadith at Barnala on high alert as their warships and Sawai Nalla camp also at were positioned into the interMuzaffarabad (all of banned national waters so as to reLashkar-e-Taiba) and Markaz spond if required. Raheel Shahid in Kotli (of the On the details of the weap- Strikes kill 10 family members of Masood Azhar M AYA N K S I N G H @ New Delhi M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi People burst firecrackers and wave the Tricolour as they hail Operation Sindoor that took out terror camps in Pakistan and PoK, in Prayagraj on Wednesday | PTI onry utilised, while the sources did not provide specific information, they confirmed that “standoff ” weapons were used. Rafale jets are equipped with Scalp and Hammer missiles, both capable of being launched from a standoff distance. The Scalp is an air-launched cruise missile with a range of up to 250 km, while the Hammer is designed for precision ground strikes from long distances. For its part, Pakistan claimed India apprises China, key world powers on calibrated response J AYA N T H J A COB @ New Delhi Following precision strikes on nine terror camps under ‘Operation Sindoor’, India on Wednesday launched a diplomatic outreach to key global powers, including China, to assert its firm stance against cross-border terrorism. Shortly after the 25-minute operation concluded in the wee hours on Wednesday, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval reached out to US NSA Marco Rubio, UK NSA Jonathan Powell, Saudi NSA Mu- K e r a l a r e acts CM: Kerala stands in solidarity with Centre Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state stands with the Union government and the defence forces in their actions against terrorism. He said the Centre must also pursue diplomatic efforts to bring Pahalgam culprits to justice. Antony lauds armed forces for Op Sindoor Congress veteran A K Antony lauded the nation’s armed forces for ‘Operation Sindoor’ and said it was “just the beginning” of India’s anti-terror operations. The former defence minister said he was certain the military would move decisively to target all terror camps located behind positions held by Pakistan Army along the border. said Al Aiban, UAE NSA Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, UAE National Security Council Secretary General Ali Al Shamsi, Russian NSA Sergei Shoigu, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Diplomatic Advisor to the French President Emmanuel Bonne, and Japan’s NSA Masataka Okano. Sources said the interlocutors were informed that the strikes were a calibrated response designed to prevent and deter further terror atIndia has no intent to escalate, but will ‘retaliate resolutely’ if Pak does so Ajit Doval, NSA tacks from Pakistan, highlighting that the strikes were targeted, measured, and non-escalatory.Doval briefed them on the “method of execution” of the operation, emphasising restraint and precision to avoid civilian casualties. During his call with Wang, Doval said that India has no plans to escalate tensions with Pakistan but is well prepared to “retaliate resolutely” if Islamabad does so. In a parallel diplomatic push, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar briefed his counterparts from many countries including Spain, Germany, France, and Qatar. 31 civilian casualties — 26 from missile attacks and five due to artillery attack along the LoC. Indiscriminate artillery fire from Pakistan hit the civilian areas in Poonch and Tangdhar sectors, killing at least 12 people, including a woman and two minor girls. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack as a “heinous act of aggression”, saying, “a resolute response is already underway .” Several family members and close associates of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) founder Masood Azhar were killed in the precision airstrikes carried out by the India on Wednesday morning on terror infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir. According to Pakistan media reports, Masood Azhar released a statement admitting that 10 of his family members—his elder sister and husband, a nephew and wife, a niece and five children— were killed. However, unconfirmed sources said that 14 people were killed in Jamia JeM founder Masjid Subhan Allah in Masood Azhar Bahawalpur. According to intelligence sources, over 80 terrorists were neutralised in the coordinated strikes by Indian forces, with the most intense operations being in JeM’s Bahawalpur headquarters and at Lashkar-e-Taiba’s main centre in Muridke, where 25-30 terrorists were killed at each of the locations. It is also reported that a close aide of Azhar and his mother, and two other close associates were also killed in the Indian strikes. P4, 7, 8 Camp that trained Kasab razed down E x p ress N e w s S er v i c e @ New Delhi Indian forces on Wednesday confirmed that they have carried out 24 missile strikes on nine terror training camps located across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir including Muridke, where 26/11 Mumbai terror attack operatives Ajmal Kasab and David Coleman Headley were trained. While briefing the media, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi presented video evidence of the destroyed training camps, Ajmal Kasab including footage from Muridke (Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters) and B a h aw a l p u r ( J a i s h - e - M o h a m m a d headquarters). Colonel Qureshi also confirmed that it was at the Muridke facility that provided terror training to Kasab and Headley . LeT recruits from Kerala underwent training in now-hit Pak terror camps E x p ress N e w s S er v i c e @Kochi Terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba had recruited people from Kerala in 2008 to be trained at its camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan, which were dismantled in ‘Operation Sindoor’. Five youths — Fayiz and Fayaz from Kannur, Abdul Rahim and Abdul Jabbar from Malappuram and Yasin from Ernakulam — were selected by LeT operative Thadiyantavide Nazeer to be trained under the outfit and were sent to the LeT camp. It was alleged that Nazeer and his aides lured the youths through the classes he held in various parts of northern Kerala. The plan was that after training, two persons would return to Kerala while the remaining three would Nazeer planned to recruit more persons from state Thadiyantavide Nazeer and gang had plans to recruit more people from Kerala and send them for training under LeT. A few were even selected but the arrest of some persons in North India disrupted the move. join the ‘jihad’ in Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, security forces, which intercepted the messages these persons sent to Kerala, surrounded them in 2008. Four persons except Jabbar were killed by the forces in the ensuing encounter at Kupwara in Jammu & Kashmir. Jabbar was later arrested by the police from Hyderabad. Investigations revealed that LeT had established direct contact with some elements in Kerala. K P Sabir alias Ayub, from Kannur, is believed to be the key figure in implementing the LeT plan in Kerala and was involved in all the discussions. Sabir left for Delhi two days before others’ journey and made all the arrangements needed in the capital. After the group reached Delhi, he escorted them to Kashmir and handed them over to the LeT handlers. Sabir left the country after news of the encounter broke. He is still absconding. The NIA Court in 2013 found 13 persons guilty in the case and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The Kerala High Court in 2022 upheld the verdict of 10, and acquitted three persons. 11 am Following ‘Operation Sindoor’, PM chaired a Cabinet meet, in which defence minister Rajnath Singh briefed members on the strikes 2 pm PM Modi met President Droupadi Murmu and briefed her on the precision strikes Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a virtual meeting with CMs and lieutenant governors of the states and UTs having borders with Pakistan and Nepal. He also asked Directors General of the BSF and SSB to keep forces on high alert 5 pm Foreign secretary Vikram Misri met 13 envoys and representatives from UNSC member countries and briefed them. nine the chosen 1 Muzaffarabad: Located in PoK, 30 km from the LoC, it was a key LeT training facility. Pahalgam attack was carried out by a terror module incubated at Sawai Nala Sawai Nala Camp Sialkot 2 Muzaffarabad: A Jaish-eMohammad camp, it was being used as staging area. It trained terrorists in weapons, explosives and jungle cum survival techniques for terror attacks in J&K syedna belal Camp Bhimber kollam l thursday l may 08, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Kishtwar 3 Kotli: The LeT base for operating in Rajouri-Poonch. Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, 26/11 mastermind, frequented it for indoctrination, motivational speeches Gulpur Camp Doda Udhampur Jammu Samba 4 Kotli: 13 km from LoC, it was the nerve centre for training LeT suicide bombers. It had training infrastructure for about 50 terrorists Abbas Camp Gulpur Pahalgam 5 Bhimber: 9 km from LoC, it was used for training terrorists in weapon handling, IED making and jungle survival techniques Barnala Camp Poonch Badgam 6 Sialkot: 6 km from International Border. Terrorists who killed four J&K policemen in March were trained and launched from here Sarjal Camp Islamabad Leh Mehmoona Joya Camp Kotli Srinagar ■ 7 Sialkot: 12 km from IB, it was a key training facility of Hizbul Mujahideen. Was used as control centre to revive terror in Kathua, Jammu 8 Muridke: 25 km from IB, it was the LeT HQ. Terrorists Ajmal Kasab and David Coleman Headley involved in 26/11 were trained here Markaz Toiba Mardan Peshawar CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI ■ Kupwara Bandipur Tithwal Baramula 9 Bahawalpur: Around 100 km from IB, it was Jaish-e-Mohammad’s HQ. Was frequented by Masood Azhar who issued directions to the cadre from this camp Markaz Subhan Muzaffarabad PoK