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News Topical, Digital Desk : In the military action taken by India on Pakistan, runways and buildings of at least 6 airfields have suffered heavy damage. This information has come to light from satellite images and video analysis by the Washington Post. Experts say that this is the biggest military action in the decades-long tension between the two countries. In response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April, the Indian armed forces launched 'Operation Sindoor' on the intervening night of 6 and 7 May. In this action, terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) were targeted.
He penetrated 160 km inside Pakistan and struck
The Washington Post reviewed more than 24 satellite images and video of the aftermath of the attack and found that the attack caused heavy damage to three hangars, two runways and two mobile buildings used by the Air Force. Some of these bases were as much as 100 miles or 160 km inside Pakistan. Walter Ladwig, a senior lecturer in international relations at King's College London and a South Asian security expert, told the Washington Post, "These attacks are India's largest air strikes on Pakistani military infrastructure since the 1971 war."
Pakistan admitted that military installations were damaged
"The precision strikes were carried out on high-level targets aimed at severely degrading Pakistan's offensive and defensive air capabilities," said William Goodhind, a geospatial analyst at the Contested Ground Project. India claimed it had struck 11 targets in Pakistan and described its action as "balanced and well-planned". The targets confirmed by the Washington Post as being among those hit. Pakistan's military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told reporters that targets had been damaged but did not give the number of targets affected.
2 mobile control centers destroyed at Khan Airbase
Christopher Clary, an assistant professor at the University at Albany and author of a book on India-Pakistan rivalry, told the Washington Post, "The satellite evidence is consistent with the claim that the Indian Army inflicted significant damage to several Pakistan Air Force bases, although in my view it is not catastrophic." After reviewing satellite images, Goodhind said two mobile control centers at the Noor Khan airbase in Rawalpindi were destroyed. Video taken from a nearby parking lot showed smoke rising from the damaged site.
Devastation at Bholari and Shahbaz airfields too
Noor Khan airfield is a vital location for Pakistan and is close to the Strategic Plans Division that guards the country's 170 nuclear weapons that are kept at various locations across Pakistan. Apart from this, Rawalpindi also houses the Army Headquarters and the Joint Staff Headquarters. A military researcher, on condition of anonymity, said, "Such an attack could be understood as an attempt to destroy the country's control center." Satellite images showed heavy damage to buildings used as aircraft hangars at the Pakistan Air Force's Bholari and Shahbaz airfields.
Hole wider than 100 feet at Shahbaz airbase
A hangar at Bholari had a hole in its roof about 60 feet wide, consistent with the impact of a missile. Debris was scattered outside and a wall collapsed on a nearby building. According to a military researcher, the Bholari hangar houses Saab 2000 Airborne Early Warning and Control System aircraft, which are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. A hangar at Shahbaz Airbase, which is for military use only, had a hole more than 100 feet wide. A control tower was also damaged. According to Goodhind, another hangar collapsed from the attack and a radar site was destroyed at Sukkur Airbase, which is used for both civilian and military purposes.
The Royal Lounge of Sheikh Zayed Airport was also damaged
The runways of Mushaf Airfield and Sheikh Zayed International Airport were damaged by huge potholes. According to photographs by Planet and Maxar firms, the potholes at Mushaf were repaired by the next day. The Pakistani army said five air force personnel were killed in Bholari and one in Mushaf. The Washington Post, quoting Pakistan's newspaper Dawn, said the Royal Lounge at Sheikh Zayed Airport was also badly damaged. Ladwig said, "Attacking so many military bases in Pakistan simultaneously is a deliberate diversion."
India killed more than 100 terrorists in attacks
Ladwig said that India earlier used to limit its airstrikes to PoK or remote parts of Pakistan. Now India is considering terrorist attacks as the basis for conventional military response. 26 people were killed and many were injured in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22. In response to this, the Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 and targeted terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and PoK. More than 100 terrorists belonging to terrorist organizations like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) were killed in this action.
'Operation Sindoor: India's policy against terrorism'
Following the attack, Pakistan resorted to cross-border shelling and drone attacks along the LoC and in Jammu and Kashmir. In response, India launched a strong attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres and airfields of Pakistan. A ceasefire was agreed between India and Pakistan on May 10. On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Operation Sindoor has set a new milestone in India's fight against terrorism and created a 'new normal'. He said after the surgical strikes and air strikes, Operation Sindoor is now India's policy against terrorism.
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