Muridke [Pakistan] : Drone strikes were reported in Pakistan Punjab’s Muridke early Wednesday as part of India’s Operation Sindoor, which targeted several high-value terrorist sites. The attacks destroyed parts of a mosque complex, including its administrative area and roof, with locals reporting casualties and widespread panic.
Residents described the midnight strikes with drones hovering overhead before multiple explosions rocked the area. “One officer was sitting on the roof, he was killed,” said a witness quoted by Reuters. Another local recounted the fear that gripped the area, forcing people into the fields for safety.
Muridke is home to Markaz Taiba, the central training hub of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)—a U.S.- and UN-designated terrorist organization. The facility at Nangal Sahdan is known for housing arms training, radicalisation programs, and intelligence indoctrination for militants, including foreign recruits. LeT operatives involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, including Ajmal Kasab, received training at this site. Conspirators David Headley and Tahawwur Rana also visited Muridke under instructions from LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.
At a media briefing in New Delhi, Col Sofiya Qureshi showcased videos from the Muridke strike and confirmed that Operation Sindoor successfully eliminated nine terror camps—four in Pakistan and five in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). Other targeted sites included Sarjal camp in Sialkot, Markaz Ahle Hadith, Barnala, Markaz Abbas in Kotli, and Mehmoona Joya camp in Sialkot.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri emphasized that the operation was a response to Pakistan’s failure to act against terror infrastructure following the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 people. “It was deemed essential to bring the perpetrators to justice,” Misri said.
India’s Ministry of Defence stressed the strikes were “focused, measured and non-escalatory,” avoiding Pakistani military targets. The operation was jointly executed by the Army, Navy, and Air Force, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi overseeing developments throughout the night.