Inside Operation Sindoor: How India’s 9 Targets Were Aiding Terror Infrastructure

Inside Operation Sindoor: In a pre-emptive counter-terrorism move, India on Wednesday (7 May) launched a coordinated precision strike operation — codenamed Operation Sindoor, targeting nine identified terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK).

The targets - four in Pak and five in Pak-occupied Kashmir, or PoK - were selected based on "credible intelligence" and focused on "dismantling terrorist infrastructure and disabling terrorists".

Anti-India terror outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen, among others, have been receiving covert aid from the Pakistan Army and its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.

Pakistani security personnel frequently monitor and oversee sessions in training camps run by these outfits, which have been renamed The Resistance Front (TRF), People's Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), Kashmir Tigers (KT), etc., in order to escape international attention and present their terrorism as an indigenous resistance movement.

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Critical assistance to these outfits is in the guise of infrastructure hidden within government buildings. Some of the training camps and launch pads targeted by Operation Sindoor are now operating close to army establishments and cantonment regions, usually under the cover of Basic Health Units (BHUs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs).

Religious indoctrination and other support activities—such as funding, propaganda, and recruitment—are being carried out with institutional backing at facilities deep inside Pakistan, such as Markaz Taiba of LeT in Muridke and Markaz Subhan Allah of JeM in Bahawalpur.

They are not only being used as homes by top commanders but also as centers of radicalization, intelligence training, and weapons handling. Secondly, commanders of such outfits have been using these centers to give anti-India speeches, e.g., the December 2024 speech by JeM chief Masood Azhar at Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur.

Camps such as Syedna Bilal and Shawai Nallah in Muzaffarabad, and Raheel Shahid in Kotli, are being used by the Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group (SSG) for jungle and guerrilla warfare training, officials said.

Operation Sindoor: Profile of the Nine Targets India Attacked

1. Markaz Subhan Allah, Bahawalpur

Operational since 2015, this is JeM’s main center for training. It is the operational hub of JeM and is associated with planning operations such as the Pulwama attack of February 14, 2019. The facility includes the residences of JeM Chief Maulana Masood Azhar, de facto chief Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar, Maulana Ammar, and other relatives. Masood Azhar has made many anti-India speeches here, urging youth to take part in Islamic jihad. JeM regularly performs arms, physical, and religious training at this complex.

2. Markaz Taiba, Muridke

Formed in 2000 at Nangal Sahdan, Muridke (Sheikhupura, Punjab), Markaz Taiba is LeT's principal training camp. It conducts arms training and religious indoctrination of recruits from both within and outside Pakistan.

Osama bin Laden is said to have funded the building of a mosque and guesthouse inside the complex. The compound trained the 26/11 Mumbai militants, including Ajmal Kasab, and sheltered conspirators like David Headley and Tahawwur Rana.

3. Sarjal / Tehra Kalan

Located in Shakargarh Tehsil, Narowal District (Punjab, Pakistan), this JeM launching facility operates from a PHC in Tehra Kalan village. Situated about 6 km from the International Border near Samba sector in J&K, it is used for tunnel construction, drone operations, and smuggling of arms and narcotics. Senior JeM leaders like Mohammad Adnan Ali (@Doctor) and Kashif Jan frequent the site, which Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar oversees

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4. Mehmoona Joya Facility, Sialkot.

Situated at the Bhutta Kotli Government BHU in Head Marala, Sialkot District, this Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) camp serves the purpose of infiltration into Jammu. Cadres are imparted training here in handling weapons and terrorist operations. The camp is led by Mohammad Irfan Khan (@Irfan Tanda), who has been identified with several attacks in the Jammu area.

5. Markaz Ahle Hadith, Barnala, Bhimber

Located on Kote Jamel Road at the border of Barnala, this LeT hub is employed for infiltrating weapons and operatives into the Poonch–Rajouri–Reasi sector. It has a capacity to accommodate 100–150 cadres and acts as a launching pad for the operations. The operations are run by LeT operatives such as Qasim Gujjar (@Mahrore), Qasim Khanda, and Anas Jarar from here under the command of senior commanders.

7. Maskar Raheel Shahid, Kotli

An HM facility with a capacity to accommodate 150–200 militants, this camp deals in arms training, sniping, BAT operations, and survival courses in mountainous terrain. It is one of the oldest operational camps of HM in PoJK.

8. Shawai Nallah Camp, Muzaffarabad

Also known as Bait-ul-Mujahideen, this LeT camp near the Chelabandi Bridge on the Muzaffarabad–Neelum Road has been active since the early 2000s. It trains recruits in religious indoctrination, physical conditioning, GPS use, and weaponry. The 26/11 attackers trained here. It can host 200–250 militants and serves as a staging ground for operations targeting North Kashmir.

9. Markaz Syedna Bilal

Located opposite Red Fort in Muzaffarabad, this is JeM’s main center in PoJK. It serves as a transit camp for militants before they infiltrate into J&K. It typically houses 50–100 operatives. Mufti Asghar Khan Kashmiri heads the facility, which is also used by Indian fugitive Aashiq Nengroo and JeM commander Abdullah Jehadi (@Abdullah Kashmiri). SSG commandos of the Pakistan Army provide training at this site.

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