The North News
New Delhi, May 10
Indian security officials on Saturday confirmed the deaths of five high-profile terrorists in a series of targeted air strikes carried out deep within Pakistani territory on 7 May. The operation—codenamed Operation Sindoor—was launched in response to the 22 April terror attack in Pahalgam, which left 25 Indian civilians and one Nepali national dead.
The five terrorists, linked to proscribed terror groups Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), were in Pakistan and had long been implicated in acts of violence across Jammu and Kashmir. Officials said the strikes were conducted with “pinpoint precision” and aimed at dismantling core leadership and operational infrastructure.
Among those confirmed killed was Mudassar Khadian Khas, also known as Abu Jundal, a senior Lashkar commander who headed the Markaz Taiba in Muridke. Indian intelligence sources said he received a full military funeral, with wreaths laid on behalf of the Pakistan Army Chief and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. His funeral was attended by a serving Lieutenant General, the Inspector General of Punjab Police, and senior members of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, including global terrorist Hafiz Abdul Rauf.
Another target, Hafiz Muhammad Jameel, was the brother-in-law of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar and led the Markaz Subhan Allah centre in Bahawalpur. He played a significant role in radicalising youth and mobilising financial support for JeM, according to Indian officials.
Also killed was Mohammad Yusuf Azhar, known by multiple aliases including Ustad Ji and Mohd Salim. A senior JeM figure and another relative of Masood Azhar, Yusuf was instrumental in weapons training and planning attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. He was also named in India’s long-standing list of most wanted terrorists for his alleged involvement in the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in 1999.
Khalid, known by the alias Abu Akasha and affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba, was said to be active in arms smuggling from Afghanistan and planning terror operations in Indian-administered Kashmir. His funeral in Faisalabad was attended by local government officials and senior Pakistan Army representatives.
The fifth terrorist, Mohammad Hassan Khan, was the son of JeM’s PoK commander Mufti Asghar Khan Kashmiri. Hassan Khan is believed to have coordinated recent attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.
